Human Race Embrace: Nobel Peace Prize Winners

Two heads are better than one
So the saying goes
United we stand, divided we fall
We have been taught this lesson
Many times over
Embrace me my brother
So that we can stand tall
Let us join together
For as one we can conquer all

Let us join together in love
So that we may soar above
All of the challenges
that this human life brings
Together we can find
Heavenly wings
With which to fly
Beyond the confines
Of limited earth-bound thinking

Let us join together in
One human race embrace
Let us move beyond the color
Of our brother's face
The limits and confines of race
As a measure of who we choose to embrace
For at the root of it we are all one
A multi-colored family of man
And together "Yes We Can,"
Improve this world for all of its earthly sons
So let us join our hearts and our minds
In one peaceful unified
Brotherly Embrace
for the benefit of all mankind.

This peace poem is in honor of the spirit of the Nobel Peace Prize. May we learn to move beyond the divisiveness of racism and nationalism and learn to see ourselves as one human family. - Injete Chesoni

While I respect the contributions of all of the Nobel Peace Prize winners there is one Nobel Peace Laureate who I respect and admire above all of the rest. Most people are somewhat surprised by my favorite Nobel Laureate. The Nobel Laureate who has made the greatest impression on me and who continues to influence my vision and goals to this day is Muhammad Yunus one of the fathers of micro-finance and the founder of Grameen Bank. Let me explain why. First and foremost, I am a trained economist and a strong believer in the importance of economic empowerment and self-reliance. Secondly, I am a firm believer in the values of equity and equal opportunity. Last but not least, I am a proponent of positive measures that have an impact on the masses. Muhammad Yunus accomplished all of this with his introduction of micro-finance and the Grameen Bank model. He proved to the world that the poor were bankable and he is largely responsible for increasing access to finance for the poor in general and women in particular. I discovered Muhammad Yunus long before he won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2006. I stumbled upon his autobiography, "Banker to the Poor," in 1999 during a long layover at the Heathrow Airport. I was on my way back to my college studies in the US after burying my dear late father in Kenya. Perhaps the impact of Yunus on me was intensified by the recent loss of my father. However, I think it was so significant because his work embodied my own ideals, values and goals. I am still on my journey and far from accomplishing some of my philanthropic goals. However, Muhammad Yunus continues to inspire me to this day and is the Nobel Laureate I identify most with which is why he remains my favorite. His Grameen model has been successfully replicated in numerous countries around the world. On the day that I bought the book, Banker to the Poor I wrote the following quote in it. This was one of my father's favorite quotes and it is by George Bernard Shaw, it reads:

Some people look at the world and ask why, I look at the world and ask why not. I think this inspirational quote can be aptly used to describe all of the great men and women who have won the Nobel peace prize.

You can read more about the Nobel Peace Prize and all of the Nobel Peace Prize winners here.

* 2009 - Barack Obama
* 2008 - Martti Ahtisaari
* 2007 - Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, Al Gore
* 2006 - Muhammad Yunus, Grameen Bank
* 2005 - International Atomic Energy Agency, Mohamed ElBaradei
* 2004 - Wangari Maathai
* 2003 - Shirin Ebadi
* 2002 - Jimmy Carter
* 2001 - United Nations, Kofi Annan
* 2000 - Kim Dae-jung
* 1999 - Médecins Sans Frontières