One Mission: To Serve Humanity

The League of Red Cross Societies in Geneva served as the association of national societies, including the American Red Cross. Today it is known as the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.

The National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution

Ralph J. Bunche (1904-1971)

Ralph Bunche, a former member of the American Red Cross Board of Governors, received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1950 for his work as the United Nations mediator in war-torn Palestine in 1948 and 1949. He successfully arranged a truce in 1949 between the newly partitioned state of Israel and invading Arab nations that included Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, and Syria. During that time he worked closely with representatives of the International Committee of the Red Cross, who were assisting war refugees. In 1951, the American Red Cross elected Bunche to a seat on the Board of Governors as a member-at-large, a position he held until 1957.

William H. Dabney (1907-1971)

William H. Dabney was the first African American appointed to the League of Red Cross Societies in Geneva, Switzerland. Mr. Dabney first joined the American Red Cross staff during World War II. He served as a club director in the Southwest Pacific. In l953, he rejoined the Red Cross staff in Washington, D.C., as a public relations consultant. In this position, he worked with other national organizations and community groups toward establishing a better understanding of Red Cross services. In l966, Mr. Dabney was appointed undersecretary to the League of Red Cross Societies. In this capacity, he administered the League's global development program, which was responsible for helping the newly created Red Cross Societies in West Africa with technical and financial assistance. The Red Cross objective in Africa continues to be to provide Africans with the resources they need to help themselves.