Shining stars for peace

There is an oft-quoted Chinese proverb stating that women can hold up half the sky. And in these perilous times of woe and war, it would seem that quote is being put into action globally as nations look to women in general, and Black women in particular, as heads of government. Of the world female heads of state and government currently in office, two are in Africa: Liberian President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, who is the first democratically elected female head of state on the African continent, and Prime Minister Luisa Dias Diogo of Mozambique. Other prominent global leaders who are Black women include Canada's Governor-General Michaelle Jean, Jamaican Prime Minister-elect Portia Simpson-Miller and St. Lucia's Governor-General, the Hon. Dr. Dame C. Pearlette Louisy. Barbados' deputy prime minister, attorney general and minister of Home Affairs is Mia A. Mottley, while the Hon. Cynthia A. Pratt serves as deputy prime minister and minister of national security for the Commonwealth of The Bahamas.

Why is it important? For myriad reasons, but here are two overriding issues: First, these new women at the top can become real advocates of empowering women. President Johnson-Sirleaf is already beginning to reverse a decade-sold, male-dominated political system, says Emira Woods, co-director of Foreign Policy In Focus at the Institute of Policy Studies in Washington, D.C., who is originally from Liberia. African countries lead the world now with the highest percentage of women in cabinet-level positions, Woods says, adding that Johnson-Sirleaf has already appointed women as finance minister and chief of police, as well as protecting women's interests by changing Liberian rape and inheritance laws. Johnson-Sirleaf told one writer that as a woman she brings "sensitivity" to the job. "Maybe that comes from being a mother and interacting with other women, many of whom carry the biggest burden in times of both war and peace," she says.

Secondly, at a time when many can remember when women and children were told to be seen and not heard--this new genre is both seen and heard, and their presence inspires the next generation of girls and women to political interest and activism. A recent study published in the Journal of Politics confirms that adolescent girls' interest in politics is heightened by the visibility of women politicians and women holding or running for office. Former Secretary of Labor Alexis Herman once told me how important it is to expose young people, particularly our young Black girls, to a variety of career options. "Nobody becomes something they haven't seen," she said.

There is a lot at stake for these new women leaders. "The real test for these new women leaders will be measured by their ability to govern. Will they have the courage to translate their leadership into a fresh agenda for peace, sustainable development, resource rights, debt cancellation and democracy in the region?" Woods asks.

The Liberian native says that time will answer her political questions, but for now she simply wants to celebrate these women leaders, saying neither she nor her female ancestors expected to see a woman president in Liberia in her lifetime.

My grandmother and great-grandmother were disenfranchised twice in this country, first by the denial of women the vote until 1920 and then as African-Americans. My Southern grandparents didn't vote until after the Voting Rights Act of 1965, when they were well into their 60s, after a lifetime of paying taxes and raising families.

These new women world leaders illuminate as bright stars of hope for all of our futures. I hope to see a Black woman president in this country, but until then, I will stand proudly on the shoulders of women like President Johnson-Sirleaf and others who call us into a collective future where we will see the hands that rock the cradle running governments with righteousness, justice and peace.

COPYRIGHT 2006 Johnson Publishing Co.
COPYRIGHT 2008 Gale, Cengage Learning