I recently had the honor of meeting and attending a fire side chat with an author, mother, daughter, sister, advocate, human rights advocate, activist, the list goes on. I sat mesmerized watching a conversation where a woman named Leymah Gbowee was interviewed. Her presence leaped out at me and something about the way she held herself told me I needed to tune in and I wasn’t wrong.
Based in Accra, Ghana, Leymah Roberta Gbowee grew up surrounded by the images of war. By the age of 17, she had come to realize that “if any changes were to be made in society it had to be by the mothers.” She believed that a woman knows her community and her society in the same special way that she knows her own home, and that to leave women out of peace negotiations made no sense. She inspired and led other women to unite against a dictator and to restore the rule of law to their country. There is an entire movie on her life called “Pray the Devil Back to Hell”.
Truth be told, when I started reading her Memoir something in my soul was awakened and what Leymah did for her country - such bravery, courage & humility! And even though I grew up in an African nation that was constantly faced with poverty, fortunately that was not my reality. But I sit in the comfort of my life in Silicon Valley, and ponder how so far removed from the challenges and fights that our brothers and sister around the world must face.
We do not wake up each day wondering what to eat instead we count calories as we determine how much to eat. We do not wake up in the morning knowing we will hear of a friend or colleague who is gone and their entire family slaughtered along with them.
We simply wonder when we can next get together for lunch/drinks.
Our world, here in America, is one of abundance. A wealth of blessings beyond measure that include peace and liberty. As Leymah explained, that women in her country understand that death, at one point, was better than life.
I was captivated by the fact that Leymah accomplished all she did and it started with a dream. One where she was told to get the women of the Church together to pray for peace. As she thought about that dream more ideas kept coming. Interestingly, Leymah explained that when she had that dream she felt “oddly placed” and was sure she was the “wrong person for the job”. She was also terrified and resisted being placed into a leadership position.
She insists and said “ask yourself what is the challenge you think you are facing today?” Leymah shows women around the world there is nothing that you cannot accomplish but you must step out in faith. Step out towards your “crazy dream” and the world may very well shift around you as a result. Every day there are many notable emerging women (and men) leaders that are accelerating peace and prosperity in their communities internationally. But what are YOU doing in YOUR communities?
I have a few dreams but I think they all have 1 thing in common and it may sound a little cliche but it involves leaving the world a better place and changing it. As the talk ended, she was autographing her Memoir and as I stood and waited my turn, she said to me “I hope to see you doing good and changing your community” and as i heard those words I felt humbled and silly at the time but more importantly felt a renewed sense of urgency and obligation. So my “crazy dreams” are in its infancy stages but who knows…perhaps this is just the beginning and we can all dream TOGETHER.
Beautiful. Powerful. I love this one, Nava.
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