April 1
On April 1, 1940, Wangari Maathai was born.
Wangari Maathai was the first African woman to win a Nobel Peace Prize. She was also the first woman in East and Central Africa to earn a doctorate degree.
Wangari Maathai was an influential figure and environmentalist in Africa. Wangari Maathai received higher education in the U.S., earning both a bachelors and masters degree. Shortly thereafter, Maathai returned to Africa to continue her education where she became the first woman in East and Central Africa with a doctorate degree. She formed the Green Belt Movement, which helped to plant 30 million trees in Kenya over a 30 year span. In 2004, Wangari Maathai made history as the first African woman to win a Nobel Peace Prize.
Wangari Maathai died in 2011 at the age of 71.
Sources
http://www.cstraight.com, C. M.-. (n.d.). Biography. Biography | The Green Belt Movement. Retrieved April 1, 2023, from https://www.greenbeltmovement.org/wangari-maathai/biography
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