BHM Ralph Bunche

In Honor of Black History Month KGNC salutes Ralph J. Bunche

Ralph J.Bunche was an American political scientist, diplomat, and a lead actor in the decolonization process and the U.S. Civil Rights movement. He received the 1950 Nobel Peace Prize for his late b1940’s mediation in Israel.

He was also the first person of African descent to be awarded the Nobel Prize and played a major role in the formation and early administration of the United Nations

Bunche in 1957 was promoted to Under-Secretary-General at the U.N. for special political affairs, having prime responsibility for peacekeeping roles.

In 1965, Bunche supervised the cease-fire following the war between India and Pakistan. He retired from the UN in June 1971. and received the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President John F. Kennedy.

At the UN, Bunche gained such fame that Ebony magazine proclaimed him perhaps the most influential African American of the first half of the 20th century and “[for nearly a decade, he was the most celebrated African American of his time both [in the US] and abroad.”

Ralph Bunche born in 1904 died December 9th, 1971