UND to host Nobel Peace Prize Laureate for lecture series

Tawakkol Karman will be at the Memorial Union on Sept. 7 for Eye of the Hawk lecture

The University of North Dakota will be hosting a Nobel Peace Prize Laureate for its Eye of the Hawk lecture series on Thursday, Sept. 7.

Tawakkol Karman, the first Arab woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize, will present “Tyranny and the Future of the Democracy,” from 7 to 8 p.m. in the Memorial Union, Ballroom 214.

Karman is a human rights activist, journalist and politician. Known as the “mother of the revolution,” “the iron woman” and “the lady of the Arab Spring,” Karman played a key role in the 2011 pro-democracy youth uprising in Yemen.

She was awarded the 2011 Nobel Peace Prize, along with Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and Leymah Gbowee, in recognition of her leadership in nonviolent struggle and her advocacy against authoritarianism, corruption and oppression.

At the time, Karman was the youngest recipient of the award at 32.

Today, Karman is a member of the Nobel Women’s Initiative, an international advocacy organization created by female winners of the Nobel Peace Prize to support women’s groups around the world striving for justice, peace and equality. She remains an avid public speaker and activist, presenting at conferences and meetings across the globe.

For more information on Karman’s past work and activism, visit her website.

Eye of the Hawk, a lecture series presented by the UND College of Arts & Sciences, is sponsored by Rick and Jody Burgum.