In the midst of the darkness of world turmoil, three rays of hope shine through. The 2011 Nobel Peace Prize has been awarded to three women activists; Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Liberian Activist Leymah Gbowee and Yemeni Activist Tawakkul Karman. These women have been fighting and advocating for the empowerment of women. Interestingly, the Nobel Peace Prize hasn’t been awarded to a woman since the late Wangari Maathai of Kenya received it in 2004 for all the work she did in organizing and empowering Kenyan women through her Green Belt Movement.
We know that these women are not the beginning of the women’s movement. This battle for women’s rights has been ongoing for decades. It’s being fought all over the world by women and men who are tired of the brutal treatment of women. And as this battle quietly moves forward, it steadily gains more ground and more power. The fight for women’s rights is a fight for human rights; as women struggle for their humanity, they are empowering and humanizing their communities, and the world.
These warrior women don’t have the benefit of the world media spotlight as our Hollywood activists, but that does not deter them. They are known and loved, respected and feared in the communities where they work. They are agents of change. Even if we don’t know of their work, our lives are changed for the better.
Thankfully, the Nobel Peace Prize Committee is able to shine their spotlight on these revolutionaries. With the prestige of being a Nobel Laureate, their struggles, their battles and their triumphs for peace are put on the world stage, forcing the world to respond to them. When we learn of them, we are inspired to action by their boldness and courage.
As individuals we don’t always feel that we are significant enough to do anything towards making our world a better place. Especially when we have been told so often that we are worthless. But when we look at women like Ellen, Leymah and Tawakkul, we are forced to reconsider. Mama Wangari tells those of us who feel insignificant and worthless about the story of the hummingbird who decided to fight a huge fire threatening to consume her forest. It’s a simple but beautiful story of choosing to do the best that one can against seemingly insurmountable odds.
We all have our work to do so I pray that we are all strengthened to get busy doing the best that we can.
Leymah Gbowee video on The Colbert Report
http://www.colbertnation.com/the-colbert-report-videos/233532/july-14-2009/leymah-gbowee
Leymah Gbowee video on Tavis Smiley Show
http://www-tc.pbs.org/video/media/swf/PBSPlayer.swf
Watch the full episode. See more Tavis Smiley.
Ellen Johnson Sirleaf video of The Daily Show with Jon Stewart http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/tue-april-21-2009/ellen-johnson-sirleaf?xrs=share_copy
Tawakkul Karman http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,2049476,00.html
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/yemen/8813170/Nobel-peace-prize-profile-of-Tawakul-Karman.html
Related articles
- 2011 Nobel Peace Prize goes to Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Leymah Gbowee and Tawakkul Karman (100gf.wordpress.com)
- Nobel Peace Prize awarded to three african women http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/08/world/nobel-peace-prize-johnson-sirleaf-gbowee-karman.html
- Who Is Leyman Gbowee http://africasacountry.com/2011/10/07/who-is-leymah-gbowee/
You Are Leaders! 