Welcome to our 17th #womanoftheweek! Today, we will be discussing Rigoberta Menchu, a Guatemalan Activist! Enjoy!
Major Accomplishments
-Recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize in 1992 for her advocacy to build rights for Guatemalans
-Founder of Rigoberta Menchú Tum Foundation
Farming Life:
Rigoberta Menchu was born 9 days into the year of 1959 in Guatemala into the Quiche branch of her family. She helped around at her family’s farm and took responsibility for her load of work in her family. Her family mainly worked on coffee plantations and they had a stable business in Guatemala. Menchu quickly became involved in the advocacy of social reform.
Advocate of her People:
Menchu and her family were dedicated to giving rights to the people of Guatemala since its government was oppressing its citizens. Her dad and countless other civilians died at a peaceful protest the family had planned. Menchu went on to write about her experiences in autobiographies. Her books attracted a lot of attention from the public and she made news headlines. She publicly spoke about the limited rights of the Mayan people of Guatemala.
Peace and Determination:
Menchu received the Nobel Peace Prize for her efforts to bring justice to minorities in Guatemala. Just after receiving the prize, she went on to create the Rigoberta Menchú Tum Foundation. Her organization focused on maintaining the rights of Mayan people. Many other books were published about her and her efforts. Menchu was a hard working, dedicated woman who struggled for selfless reasons. She was a role model for many advocates around the world. Her determination inspired not only her own country, but countless other ones too.
This is a Woman of the Week article, a weekly deep dive into an amazing women of color. For more incredible stories like this one, check out our article on Gitanjali Rao and Maya Angelou Also, make sure to follow us at @likeagirlglobalon Instagram for more updates and original content!
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