Wangari Maathai

(http://greenbeltmovement.org)

I chose Wangari Maathai of Kenya as my hero because she exemplifies vision and persistence - two traits I admire deeply. In 2004, Maathai won the Nobel Peace Prize for, among other things, a grassroots movement to replant Kenya's rainforests begun in 1977. The coverage of the award was the first time I'd heard about Maathai. I was thrilled that the award had gone to an environmentalist and an African woman. However, I was unaware of the complexity of Maathai's mission and work.

I say complexity because Wangari Maathai interwove environmental concerns with political reform in Kenya. Maathai lobbied and worked for environmental reform and from there saw the need for political reform. In her own words, "We understood...that you cannot actually protect the environment or any rights whatsoever until you dismantle the structure, because the problem was in the structure." The structure Maathai was talking about was the system of government set up by Britain when Kenya became a British colony. Apparently, this system of government was perpetuated when Kenya became independent in the 1960s.

This insistence on reform and Maathai's leadership role among women made Maathai a major force among the opposition. She was frequently jailed and was beaten severely enough to land in intensive care. In 1989, during the time she was speaking out against the government of President Daniel Arap Moi, Maathai successfully led a protest against the construction of a 60-story building within the grounds of Uhuru Park in Nairobi. The park was and is one of the few green areas left in Kenya's capital. The building was also proposed and supported by Moi. The action is a beautiful example of how Maathai has blended environmental concerns with political ideals.

Maathai outlasted Daniel Moi and his government. She was elected to parliament when the party she represented, the National Rainbow Coalition, defeated the Kenyan African National Union in 2002. The list of her appointments after 2002 includes Assistant Minister in the Ministry of Environment, Natural Resources and Wildlife and the presidency of the African Union's Economic, Social and Cultural Council.

The energy and determination implied in the variety and depth of Maathai's interests and actions amazes me. And, she has accomplished this within a culture that authorized a divorce requested by her husband on the grounds that she was "too strong-minded for a woman and that he was unable to control her."

Maathai continues advocating for healthy communities through care for the environment. In 2006, she spearheaded the United Nations Billion Tree Campaign. A professor said of Maathai, "I think for her each tree she plants represents human potential."