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!
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!
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.
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:
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