As an office worker in Northern Ireland in the 1970s, Betty Williams saw the civil unrest in her home country documented daily in the news and on television. She and several friends decided to take action for life and not for death. Along with Mairead Corrigan and Ciaran McKeown, Williams organized the Northern Ireland Peace Movement, now known as the Community of Peace People.
They rallied their countrymen to break the cycle of violence, and Williams and Corrigan were honored for their work by sharing the 1976 Nobel Peace Prize. Williams currently leads the Global Children’s Foundation. She will be on campus to present a lecture, “Community Based Solutions to Violence” at 6:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 13, in Ellis Auditorium. The talk is free and open to the public.