|
We all have sources of
inspiration- some from childhood, some we’re not entirely aware of, some
that just seep into our subconscious. Here are a few people and their
creations who inspire me…
Peter
A. Seligmann: Co-Founder, Chairman of the Board, Chief Executive Officer
of Conservation International (CI)
Conservation International (CI) is one of the most ground breaking,
entrepreneurial global conservation organizations of our time. Peter
Seligmann is steadfast and fearless in his commitment to effect change in
the environmental community. His work is not limited to the environment,
however. He also aims to improve business, health care, community
development, and politics because of their inextricable link to the
environment. If there is one individual whose leadership inspires me, it
is Peter Seligmann. If there is one organization I foresee provoking the
most positive change to our global environment, it is Conservation
International.
http://www.conservation.org/xp/CIWEB/
http://www.conservation.org/xp/CIWEB/about/bios/pseligmann.xml
Linda
& Peter Biehl: Co-Founders of The Amy Biehl Foundation
Linda and
Peter Biehl founded “The Amy Biehl Foundation” after the violent death of
their daughter, Amy Biehl, on August 25, 1993. Amy moved to South Africa
as a Fullbright Scholar after graduating with honors from Stanford
University. She worked with the University of Western Cape Community Law
Center to develop registration programs for both men and women in
preparation for the first all-race election in the country, scheduled for
April of 1994. She was nearing the completion of her program when she was
murdered as an innocent bystander by four young men affiliated with a
radical nationalist organization. The men convicted for her murder were
sentenced to 18 years in prison but served only five years before
receiving amnesty from the South African Truth and Reconciliation
Commission (TRC) in 1998.
Many
parents would be enraged by such a dismissal. Linda and Peter Biehl,
however, embraced the court’s decision. Soon after Amy’s death they
visited the township where her murderers were raised in an attempt to cope
with and better understand the tragedy. In 1997 they created the Amy Biehl
foundation. The organization, funded thanks to generous donations and
their own money, originally sponsored programs for children including
after-school education, welding classes, arts education, and information
about college opportunities. This family provides an example of
forgiveness and compassion for the entire world. Instead of being
overwhelmed by sadness, anger, or an understandable sense of injustice,
they have coped with Amy’s death by creating a foundation that perpetuates
the work she was so committed to in life. Today, the Amy Biehl foundation
offers programs in sports and recreation, art and music, health and
safety, education, and environmental justice to people in Cape Town and
throughout South Africa. Moreover, I believe they have been asked to
replicate the model elsewhere. It’s a worthwhile organization to support.
So please check it out!
http://www.amybiehl.org/
Yong-Soo
Lee: Korean World War II “Comfort Woman” Survivor
Yong- Soo
Lee was born in the Korean town of Taego in 1928. At the age of 16, she
was approached by a Korean and Japanese man and was taken by train to a
remote place where she was sold to the Japanese government as a sex
slave. She and thousands of other young women were repeatedly beaten and
raped during World War II, all the while being forced to work under
extreme weather and working conditions to support the Japanese military.
In 1992,
Lee began to tell her story. Most recently, she served on a committee
that was instrumental in helping pass H.R. 121, a resolution by the United
States Congress calling on Japan to formally accept responsibility and
apologize for forcing young women into sexual slavery during World War II.
This
woman represents strength and courage to me. I hope as more disempowered
women hear her moving, and yet, powerful story, they will be inspired to
share their own and stand up for justice.
http://www.internationalrelations.house.gov/110/lee021507.htm
Paul
Haggis: Writer/Producer/Director (Crash, Million Dollar Baby,
Casino Royale, In the Valley of Elah).
Paul
Haggis has deservedly won two Academy Awards and several nominations for
his work. His most recent film, In the Valley of Elah, includes
exceptional performances by Charlize Theron, Tommy Lee Jones, and Susan
Sarandon, among others. Paul Haggis is also co-founder of Artists for
Peace and Justice. Paul writes some of the most rich, complex storylines
with rapid-fire dialect and characters containing heart and depth. He
edits his films with the help of another talent, Jo Francis, who just
happens to be his sister.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0478134/
Jane
Goodall: Renowned Primatologist
It would
be difficult to count the number of taboo’s Jane Goodall was violating
when she arrived in East Africa in 1960 to study the area’s Chimpanzee
population. At the time it was uncommon for a woman to be as well
educated and distinguished in the sciences as Jane, and unheard of for a
woman to live in the forests near Lake Tanganyika alone. She had chosen a
field that demanded not only years of dedicated research conducted in
relative isolation, but also a great deal of patience and compassion for
the chimpanzees that she would be both studying and living with.
In the
years that followed, Jane revolutionized the study of primatology and
contributed to a global cultural shift towards respecting the rights of
animals and their environments. She defied the scientific conventions of
her peers by naming chimps instead of assigning them numbers, and has been
praised for taking the time necessary to observe “human” emotions and
personalities in them.
In 1977
Jane founded The Jane Goodall Institute for Wildlife Research,
Education and Conservation (JGI). JGI takes a holistic and
community-centered approach in encouraging change throughout the world,
focusing on empowering individuals to make informed and compassionate
decisions to improve the global environment for all living things. Jane’s
determination, strength, and creativity prove that an individual really
can change her industry, herself, and the entire world through passion and
commitment to her dreams. If you haven’t read her inspirational book, “A
Reason for Hope” I highly recommend doing so!
http://www.janegoodall.org/
Michael Moore: Director/Writer/Producer (Fahrenheit 911, Sicko, Bowling
for Columbine)
Academy
award winning director Michael Moore effectively uses film to confront
issues that most film-makers would prefer to avoid. He educates,
provokes, and utilizes his investigative journalism skills to create
powerful films that motivate the audience to question and act. While he
is certainly a controversial figure and – to many – a difficult
personality, I’m glad someone is challenging the underlying assumptions of
power and injustice operating in the world today.
www.michaelmoore.com
Cherry
Jones : Doubt (broadway production)
Cherry
Jones is a timeless actress who tackles the depths of humanity with
bravery and commitment to her characters and craft. Her turn in Doubt
solidifies her status among the likes of Meryl Streep, Cate Blanchett,
Kate Winslett, and Nicole Kidman. Doubt was a must see. Despite
its sensitive subject matter, I caught myself laughing almost every time
Cherry so masterfully delivered a line. I was moved to tears by the
uniquity of her portrayal of the nun—I simply couldn’t take my eyes off
her captivating performance.
In the
Continuum/Nikkole Salter and Danai Gurira.
Nikkole
Salter and Danai Gurira portrayed pregnant black women with HIV, as well
as other characters—from a South African Shaman to the mother of an NBA
star (who had to deal with her sons many mistresses). Salter and Gurira,
who wrote In the Continuum for their graduate school acting project
at NYU, managed to impart the fear, shame, and rage they felt towards
those who exposed them to the disease, while at the same time heartening
the audience with the bravery and courageousness that is required to
confront the AIDS epidemic.
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5202209
http://www.broadwayacrossamerica.com/BAA.Public.Web/Pages/News.aspx?isSTH=0&city=&storyId=6650
Deborah Collins Stephens, Jackie Speier, Michaelene Cristini Risley, Jan
Yanehiro: Authors of This Is Not the Life I Ordered
At the
end of the day what do we have if we don’t have our friends and family?
This book is about sisterhood. It’s about women supporting each other in
ways that men cannot through the ups and downs of life. I only wish that
more women would follow in these brave women’s footsteps and recognize the
power of unity and collaboration, ultimately fostering the power of the
collective women’s spirit.
http://www.thisisnotthelifeiordered.com/
Rajaa H. Dhaher Al-Khuzai
Global Council
Member, International Museum of Women
Rajaa H. Dhaher Al-Khuzai
is a physician and former member of the Iraqi National Assembly. Prior to
the formation of the National Assembly, she was one of three women who
served on Iraq’s Governing Council. She has represented the voice of Iraqi
women in meetings with President George W. Bush, former United Kingdom
Prime Minister Tony Blair, former U.S. Ambassador L. Paul Bremer and other
international coalition officials. Rajaa has made her primary focus to
strengthen participation of women in the construction of the new Iraqi
government and its parliament, and ensure their involvement in drafting
Iraq’s new constitution.
As a political leader
and women’s health practitioner, Rajaa is determined to develop a women’s
health strategy for post war Iraq. She holds degrees in obstetrics and
gynecology from the University of London, is the director of a hospital in
the southern city of Diwaniah, and a lecturer at the local medical
college. Through her two NGOs, Rajaa has been developing new programs to
address the pressing health, education, and psychosocial needs specific to
women in a war torn country attempting reconstruction. She is president of
the Women's Organization in Diwaniah, founder of the Women's Health Center
in Baghdad, and founder of the Iraqi Widows Organization, which supports
widows with training programs and short-term loans for their small
businesses.
I heard Rajaa speak
at a Global Council even recently and was inspired by her passion and
commitment. She radically defies the stereotype of the docile and passive
“Muslim woman” so often depicted in American news and media, and has
proved herself to be an innovative, creative, and fiercely driven
individual. Her commitment to community health and women’s rights earned
her a nomination for the Nobel Peace prize in 2004. For more information
about Rajaa, her work, or the International Museum of Women, visit:
http://www.imow.org/about/rajaa_al_khuzai.php |
