Loving life with my new Kenyan sisters
I love women and the energy of women. I love our brilliance, our determination, our wit, our sense of fun and adventure and I love that we do the important work of holding things together. More than anything else, I love that we support one another.
When I first learned from my friend, Linda Higdon, that she had put together a trip for women and about women in Kenya, I didn’t hesitate. Linda is a global citizen. She’s been popping up into my life for years – from meeting her at the first Gather the Women conference to bumping into her on the streets of New York at the Commission on the Status of Women, and again at the Parliament of World’s Religions. It was during one of these chance meetings that she said, “You should come with us to Kenya.” I told her immediately, “You’re right!” So, I came back to my home in Rapid City, South Dakota, called my friend Jodene and said, “Will you come with me to Kenya?” We were both in for a great adventure. And knowing Linda, respecting her deeply and knowing her commitment to women and a better world, there was never any question.
Linda Higdon and her Kenyan sister, Mercy Chidi Baidoo who founded Ripples International that reaches 12,000 kids.
My interest in women and our issues has been long standing. I’ve been a delegate to the Commission on the Status of Women for the past 6 years. While there I learned about a United Nations human rights treaty (the Convention on Ending Discrimination Against Women) which every country in the world except the US and 5 small countries have adopted. Kenya adopted CEDAW in 1984 and because of that, there’s a requirement that a third of their elected politicians must be women. That’s progressive.
Celebrating Women’s Equality Day with a mayoral proclamation about CEDAW.
While on my trip to Kenya, I met women who are very politically astute and involved. That impressed me. So, it wasn’t a big step from going to the UN to getting involved with an effort in our country called Cities for CEDAW. This is an effort to have local city governments adopt CEDAW either as a resolution or an ordinance. This means that when decisions are made by our local governments, the issues of women and children are kept at the forefront of these decisions. It also means that cities with an ordinance are required to do a gender analysis to see how women are faring in numerous categories.
I met Lucy Mukaria on ͞Women’s Journey to Kenya͟. She grew up in a remote village, was the first girl to graduate from her school and moved on to claim her role as a female legislator ensuring women are represented in public office
In Kenya, I had seen women doing important things – starting orphanages and schools, fighting inside their governments for women’s rights and the rights of children. I was inspired to join that fight. I came home with a determination to do more for women in my community.
With my knowledge of CEDAW and talking with women around the US who are implementing it in their cities, my friend Rowdy and I went to the mayor of our community and asked that our city council adopt CEDAW on International Women’s Day, Mar. 8. In part, it is the spirit of the Kenyan women, their determination and their ability to work together, that gave me the resolve to try to get CEDAW enacted in my community.
Life in technicolor with the Samburu women who I discovered are speaking out about ancient traditions that need to end.
This trip to Kenya was about interacting with women, seeing their strength and determination to make the world a better place for themselves, their children, and their communities. The Kenyan government has begun to address the gender inequities women face. I credit my sisters in Kenya and their determination for helping me find the courage to move this forward in my own community. We are all part of a global shift where women are becoming more visible, more vocal, running for office and speaking out. We do this together as the women of Kenya have modeled for me. Women in the world, we rise together!
The CSW in New York is held annually in March and I can’t think of a better place to get re-ignited with my friends and women globally around issues that matter most!
