Rigoberta Menchú Tum

Rigoberta Menchú Tum was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1992 in recognition of a lifetime of advocacy for the rights of the indigenous people of Central America.

Tum worked on a Guatemalan coffee plantation where she witnessed indigenous workers suffering abuse at the hands of European landowners. Long hours, low pay, one outdoor toilet for 400 or more workers, and other hardships—all impelled Tum to become involved in social reform activities through the Catholic Church.

Tum joined the Committee of the Peasant Union in 1979. That year, her brother was tortured and killed by the Guatemalan army. The following year, her father and mother were killed.

Tum fled to Mexico in 1981 when her life became endangered because of her role in educating the indigenous population on ways to resist military oppression and for her participation in demonstrations demanding better conditions for farm workers.

While in Mexico in 1982, Tum wrote her autobiography, I, Rigoberta Menchú, which focused international attention on the plight of indigenous people. Tum continues her advocacy for social justice and equality as Promoter of the International Decade of Indigenous Peoples, mandated by the General Assembly of the United Nations. Concurrently, she presides over the Indigenous Initiative for Peace.

— Brenda Goates