Ralph Bunche was the first person of color to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. Bunche received the award in 1950 for his late 1940s mediation in Palestine. Born in Detroit Michigan, Bunche was raised in Los Angeles by his grandmother, going on to graduate summa cum laude from UCLA. Using money raised in his community to attend Harvard University, Bunche became the first black American to gain a PhD from an American University in 1934. Scott 1860 Ralph Bunche