About Us

Since 2001, The Community has engaged Nobel Peace Prize laureates, world-famous artists, and international media for peace building and human rights.

Beginnings

The Community began when a Nobel Peace Prize winner, José Ramos-Horta, met a California communications consultant, Mary Wald. They decided to work together and use the Internet to forward the message of peace building.

Mary brought 14 years of PR and Internet strategies to the partnership. Ramos-Horta is an internationally renowned diplomat and Nobel Peace Prize laureate. He brought an uncanny intelligence and wisdom, born of 24 years working to save the people of Timor-Leste (formerly East Timor) from annihilation, and later led the country as the world’s newest democracy.

They were joined by Bonnie Abaunza, Larissa Peltola, Michael Collopy and Jesse Kornbluth and the original team was formed.

Mary Wald and the Dalai Lama at a video taping for The Community's campaign for the Universal Declaration of Human Rights

His Holiness the Dalai Lama and The Community founder Mary Wald at a taped interview for The Community’s human rights campaign.

Growth

Mary first met anti-Apartheid hero and Nobel Peace Prize winner Archbishop Desmond Tutu in 2001 at the centennial celebration of the Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo. In the years following the Archbishop served as the site’s invaluable Human Rights Advisor until his retirement from public life.

Through her work with the Annual Summit of Nobel Peace Prize Laureates in Rome, she met His Holiness the Dalai Lama, who also lent his powerful voice to the actions of the site, as did Mikhail Gorbachev, President Jimmy Carter, and others.

Others joined The Community’s actions. Today 27 Nobel Peace Prize laureates have participated in the site’s projects. The small but high-powered team around became known in human rights and peace building circles for the ability to launch effective online actions, and rally the international media on critical issues.

Today The Community sponsors the Nobel Laureates Peace Fund, a non profit (501c3) corporation in the State of California.

Sir Paul McCartney and The Community founder Mary Wald at a taping for The Community’s campaign for the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

So Far

Some of the world’s most recognizable artists including Paul McCartney, Robert De Niro, George Clooney, Morgan Freeman, Harrison Ford, Christie Turlington, Richard Gere, Ron Howard and others have aligned themselves to the causes of peace and human rights on The Community. Bono, Michael Douglas, and Paul Simon each shot episodes for the site’s upcoming series, What’s so hard about Peace?

The Community’s content has been covered by the Associated Press, the New York Times, LA Times, People.com, CNN, Washington Post, USA Today, Malaysia New Straits Times, Hong Kong Morning Post, ABC Evening News, Entertainment Tonight, Huffington Post, and other media around the world.

Notables including Kathy Calvin, President of the UN Foundation, and Martha Nelson, former Editor of People Magazine and Editor in Chief of Time, Inc. have supported and served on the advisory board of the site.