Written by Julie Lewis with Jenny Koenig
Once, I was asked, “What character or person in history do you aspire to be?” I struggled to answer. I’m not sure if I have one specific person I try to model my life after, and I never think of fictional characters as having the same randomness of a real person’s life so I don’t aspire to be Elizabeth Bennet or Katniss Everdeen.
I don’t know who I aspire to be from history, but I do think she might be the reflection of my own two adult daughters. I don’t have to look very far to find my favorite women. Both Teresa and Laura are inspirational women. They live their lives with integrity, abandon, and conviction. They’re honest. They have been some of the most honest people in my life.
Beyond the boundaries of my own family, I admire women who have become experts in their field, especially in careers dominated by men, like Meryl Streep, Lady Gaga, and Sue Bird. I admire women who have wealth and means but use it to better the world, like Melinda Gates and Oprah. Or smart women who sacrifice for those who are oppressed, like Ruth Bader Ginsberg or Malala Yousafzai.
I have learned much from women I’ve met while traveling with CfC and the 30/30 Project these last few years. One of those women, Carmen Yulin Cruz, speaks with a strong voice that overflows with passion. The emotion behind her messages and the stories she tells are compelling.
When Carmen Yulin Cruz, the mayor of San Juan Puerto Rico, said, “Without power, we have no power,” I knew immediately that I wanted to be part of the solution to restore power to Puerto Rico. This was something the US government, the ruling government in Puerto Rico, had failed to do. A year and a half after the hurricanes hit the Caribbean in 2017, where over 3,000 American citizens died, there were still people who didn't have electricity.
“Women are connected by forces and experiences that transcend space and time and their voices must be heard.”
The 30/30 Project, along with CfC, Expedia, the Clinton Global Initiative, and the Sextant Foundation were part of a large group of businesses and organizations working together to provide green energy options to Puerto Rico.
The 30/30 Project funded the installation of solar panels to the Pharmacy School at the University of Puerto Rico. The Pharmacy School was where pharmaceutical drugs that need refrigeration, including insulin, were stored and then distributed to 70 primary health centers on the island. Because no one should die of diabetes in a storm. And, let’s face it: if this was New York or Atlanta or Seattle, I am confident they would have had dependable electricity restored and functioning in record time.
Similar to Yulin-Cortez, Wendo Aszed of Dandelion Africa also tells compelling stories as she shares her vision. When Wendo told me that she thought healing in her community for women and girls begins with the boy child, I knew instinctively that she was right.
In Kenya, and in many places around the world, it is the girls who are responsible for almost all of the household chores, including gathering water several times a day. Girls can be overwhelmed by the sheer hours taken up by housework. They often don’t have time to go to school or end up not doing well because they have fewer hours to study than their male classmates and brothers. Girls are often forced into marriage at young ages, and the practice of female genital mutilation is common, causing serious harm to young women.
While visiting Dandelion Africa, I watched Wendo address an all-male gathering of village chiefs and elders who listened to her intently. I could see that her plea for the welfare and education of girls was being heard; her message was affecting change.
Wendo believes that changing social norms starts by educating the village male youth. She thinks that long held cultural beliefs and tribal practices that harm girls can be changed by the next generation and could eventually end. So, along with her health clinic, she has developed two youth programs. One is called “Girls as Leaders,” and the other “Boys for Change.” Although Wendo spends time educating the adult male leaders, she sees real change coming from the kids.
Wendo’s vision has not been accepted by many in power, and her life’s work has cost her dearly. Her life is threatened often by people in her community who don’t want to change the social and political norms. They don’t want to change systems and practices that have benefitted the village men for years, at the expense of women.
I admire the courage and resolve in Wendo Aszed. The 30/30 team knew from the minute we heard her story and her comprehensive plan that we wanted to help her succeed. What she needed most, at the time, was a maternity ward. So we helped her build one.
There are many women I hope to meet someday. They are not household names or celebrities. They are the women in India, Uganda, Rwanda and South Africa who I’ve only met in emails, on zoom meetings, or through stories. I know these trips may never come to pass. Even if I never meet these women face-to-face, I will continue to advocate for their well-being, just as they would for me.
I wrote this poem after listening to a bunch of men one day. I think many people can relate to the message:
Voices
All I hear are men’s voices
Making plans for the world
Talking about hunger
Their solutions put money in their own accounts
I am skeptical
What is so threatening to them about women’s voices
Are they aware
Is it intentional
Or are they so used to each other
that they don’t see who is not represented
Women are connected by forces and experiences that transcend space and time and their voices must be heard. We deserve to be heard as do all gender identities, including non-binary, intersex, and transgender people who are often overshadowed, not represented and discriminated against. We deserve to be heard and seen. Decision making tables need to grow, expand, and represent the full spectrum of the human experience.
As for me… I will elevate the voices of my fellow “sisters” until the day I die.
Julie Lewis works to make quality affordable healthcare available to those in underserved communities. Through the 30/30, Julie has raised funds to build 30 health facilities in 9 different countries. She is the mother to Grammy Award winning musician, Ryan Lewis, and the author of the book, Still Positive: A Memoir.