Last week, I had the privilege of hearing some of the most extraordinary voices on some of the most pressing issues of our time. I was a guest of ONE, an international advocacy organization (founded by Bono) committed to ending extreme poverty and preventable disease, particularly in Africa, as they kicked off their women and girls initiative with the first AYA Summit.
We discussed AIDS, human trafficking, homeless teens, girls being oppressed, girls rising up and, of course, Ebola. We heard from a homeless 19-year-old from Watts whose poetry so moved us that, by the end of the day, a scholarship fund had been created in her name to ensure that her voice will continue to be heard. I was riveted by the reading of three acts of an original play that told the heart-breaking story of three different women touched by war. I had dinner with two doctors who recently came back from the frontline of the Ebola crisis in Liberia, one of whom was packing her bags to return. I learned the story of a marine who, with $26 and an extraordinary nurse named Tabitha, built a medical clinic that serves thousands in Kibera, one of the worst slums in Nairobi. A storyteller shared the tale of how her idyllic childhood was destroyed in the Rwanda genocide, spent years in a refugee camp and finally found her way to the US to be reunited with the family she thought dead. "I haven’t yet asked my mother if she missed me," she confessed. I listened to a professorial-looking man in a slightly rumpled grey suit who fights AIDS on the ground across the globe and believes in the possibility of an AIDS free generation by the time my 13-year-old son turns 30, and another who believes that extreme poverty can end by then as well.
And finally, a 16-year-old girl took the stage in oversized sunglasses and a wig to bravely share the story of her capture, along with 300 of her classmates, at the hands of Boko Haram and her escape – "I wanted my parents to at least have my body rather than have to wonder what happened to me," she said in a clear but subdued voice. We have been asking since April Where Are Our Girls … here before us was one of those girls. With 300 of her classmates still missing, and more reported captured just this week, we cannot give up our fight for their safe return (#whereareourgirls). Her name is Saa and her bravery can simply not be overstated.
It was a privilege to be in the room with dozens of people committed to making the world a better place.
And I thought "what can I do?" I have children to raise, dogs to walk and a business to run. I know nothing about international aid … hell, I don’t even know how to help the one homeless guy in the Hamptons.
And then came a realization … I can amplify the voices of these extraordinary people. I can be sure that the world knows the name Marquesha Babers - the inspired, strong, brilliant poet from Watts. I can encourage you all to run to see her perform when the chance presents itself and to buy her first book when it arrives, even though that could take a decade.
I can be sure that you know that Danai Gurira is not just the sword-wielding, zombie killer Michonne on the Walking Dead. She is a brilliant playwright and extraordinary actor who believes that her life’s work includes telling the stories of her sisters from Africa who were the warriors, the oppressed, the victims of Liberia’s civil war and that you run, not walk, should you ever be lucky enough to have the chance to see her perform. That you commit to the promise of all the world’s children living to their fifth birthday and call upon your representatives and say, "yes, these lives matter" and the work of Gavi must continue. I can ask you to promise that, when the Ebola crisis is brought under control – and it will be with enough resources – we will stand together as a global community to help the people of Western Africa rebuild their lives and communities and that we welcome home the brave medical personnel who have gone to help. I can tell you that I know for sure that the "Where Are Our Girls" girls, are just that, teenagers about whom we cannot forget and whose release we must continue to demand. That genocide can never again be ignored.
I can amplify those voices. I can help tell their stories.
I can be sure that you know that Danai Gurira is not just the sword-wielding, zombie killer Michonne on the Walking Dead. She is a brilliant playwright and extraordinary actor who believes that her life’s work includes telling the stories of her sisters from Africa who were the warriors, the oppressed, the victims of Liberia’s civil war and that you run, not walk, should you ever be lucky enough to have the chance to see her perform. That you commit to the promise of all the world’s children living to their fifth birthday and call upon your representatives and say, "yes, these lives matter" and the work of Gavi must continue. I can ask you to promise that, when the Ebola crisis is brought under control – and it will be with enough resources – we will stand together as a global community to help the people of Western Africa rebuild their lives and communities and that we welcome home the brave medical personnel who have gone to help. I can tell you that I know for sure that the "Where Are Our Girls" girls, are just that, teenagers about whom we cannot forget and whose release we must continue to demand. That genocide can never again be ignored. I can amplify those voices. I can help tell their stories.Until one day, when I am able to tell my own story.
For more info on this fantastic conference, or to learn more about how you can help, check out ONE.
For more info on this fantastic conference, or to learn more about how you can help, check out ONE.
