A Morning with the US First Lady |
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Meeting the other women was truly an inspirational life-changing time which has once again cemented my passion for the power of young motivated people, particularly women! (Jean Scrimgeour Alum 2008) Banele Lukhele, Nomfundo Magudulela (Alums 2010) were two other talented young SAWIP leaders selected to attend this Forum in June and be inspired by Michelle Obama.
NOT AN EVERYDAY OPPORTUNITY
It is not every day that one gets the opportunity to say that one attended a forum with the current First Lady of The United States, Mrs Michelle Obama, as the guest speaker. Thanks to SAWIP, I have the privilege to say that I have experienced this. I attended the address by Mrs Obama on the 22 June 2011, at the Regina Mundi church in Soweto, South Africa.
Upon reading the invitation, I was not sure what to expect but I knew that this was a once in a life time opportunity that I could not let pass. I was up at 5am making my way to Maponya Mall, where we were all told to meet the bus, and trying to imagine what this experience would be like. I can honestly say that it was a phenomenon too great to express in words.
I was initially captured by her speech because of the fact that she spoke of leadership on ground level. She is one of the few leading figures who not only speaks of ground level assistance but has actually played a role in its development. I appreciated the fact that she began by speaking of a leader in the community or amongst peers.
Mrs Obama spoke to the audience, particularly young women, to be a generation greater than itself. She spoke of how we can be the generation that ends hunger and HIV as well as the generation that provides jobs and education, amongst other things. However, the one ambition she mentioned that resonated in my mind was the fact that we can be the generation that holds our government responsible.
I left that talk thinking about the battles that our current generation faces and what role I would play to build a community consisting of “people of conscious”. Mrs Obama managed to capture the essence of what young leaders need to understand in a quote from Gqibelo Dandala, a young African woman from South Africa; Dandala said "...we are building a legacy which will outlive and outgrow us..." This needs to be the message that we bring to those around us.
It is only after an experience like this that one gets to view one’s position and purpose in a more kaleidoscopic view. Mrs Obama opened my eyes to a view that I had only previously glimpsed at. I am truly grateful for the opportunity provided by SAWIP. As an alumnus, I am constantly reminded of the continuity of this program and the fact that once in the system the chances to grow as a leader through SAWIP are abundant.
Banele Lukhele A Morning with the US First Lady
It is not often that one receives a message from the US Embassy in your personal email inbox. But when you are a part of an organisation like SAWIP, such occurrences start becoming the norm.
The invitation to see the First Lady of the United States address a group of young women in Soweto was (obviously) met with a very hasty RSVP and a flutter of nerves. This was Michelle Obama’s first visit to South Africa since her husband had taken the Presidency. This was history: the first African American US First Lady on her first visit to the historic Regina Mundi Catholic Church in Soweto. I knew I had to be witness to this.
In true Michelle Obama style, her address felt genuine, her concern for the women of this country and this continent evident. Graca Machel noted that she is a “feminist by practice, without shouting slogans… She shows that you can be powerful without being imposing, without being aloof”.
As a young woman breaking into the working world, one is often warned of the Glass Ceiling; of the Boy’s Club that you will encounter. You are told you have to be tough. You have to fight and (in essence) become as tough (if not more so) as your male counterparts to make it. Women examples like Michelle Obama show that you can have strength with grace. You can be gentle when required and you can still be as successful as any man. Mrs Obama is fully aware of the challenges faced by women the world over and this was a topic that she addressed in her speech. Her conviction that we “can be the generation that ensures women are no longer second class citizens. That girls take their place at schools and that they are not the victims of abuse and violence in any situation” resonated with me. It reinforced in me my desire to see young women empowered; to have women given the opportunity to voice their desires, and the freedom for them to act on their dreams.
A core focus of SAWIP is grooming the next generation of leaders for our country. Like SAWIP, Michelle Obama recognises that leadership is evident in all sectors. In her address Obama stressed that leadership is not only about the grand efforts of those in the public eye, instead it often happens with the smallest acts in the most unexpected places by unexpected people.
One often walks away from such talks feeling as though while it may be great to give great speeches, it is much more difficult for us unknowns to make a difference. We often feel as though because we cannot stand on podiums chanting slogans into microphones that no-one will listen to us. We assume that because our pockets are not deep and our influence wide spread, we cannot contribute. However, one key point that I left Michelle Obama’s address with was her statement that “while the challenges of today may not require the lofty rhetoric of past eras, the injustices present still require you to take leadership”. I am determined still to strive to work for my people. I will be a powerful African woman, changing the perceptions and lives of young people, one interaction at a time.
Nomfundo Magudulela |
Thank you so much for the incredible opportunity to be selected for the Young African Women Leaders Forum, through SAWIP.
