Change Agents

Education and experience are two things that can never be taken away from an individual. Many people work hard to learn what they know and deserve what they can achieve by hard work.  Throughout history there have been many social activists that have made an impact on society today. Though it may not be known by many who these individuals are or what they have done, it may affect their lives everyday. These people have gone through many experiences and challenges to learn what they know and to make the impact that they have. There is much we can learn from them and follow their guidance to achieve what we believe may be right.  Wangari Maathai and Will Allen are two activists that I feel have made such a great impact and can teach us a lot about how to make change happen.

            Wangari Maathai was born on April 1, 1940 in Nyeri, Kenya. Her family lived in a mud-walled five-bedroom structure. Her parents were farmers and raised cotton, coffee, and tea. Wangari came to the United States in 1960 after receiving a scholarship to study here. She graduated in 1964 with a B.S in biology from Mount College, then earned a M.S in biological sciences in 1966 from the University of Pittsburgh, and then continued on to get her Ph.D in anatomy in 1971 from the University of Nairobi.  With her extensive knowledge and education Wangari became a well-known and loved activist and advocate for poor women and human rights. In 1977 she started the Green Belt Movement, which has made her nationally well known and looked upon as a great inspiration.

            Wangari focused her work on poor women who were primarily responsible for gathering firewood and provide this staple to their families. Due to the degradation of the surrounding forests, the collecting of the firewood became difficult. Wangari became aware of this issue when she returned to Kenya, and this is when she decided to become an environmentalist and advocate for these women. Deforestation is a commonly known issue that has been on the rise. And even though women’s rights have come a long way since much earlier years there is still struggle for the authority of women.

“African women’s influence has become even further removed from their original decentralized tribal lifestyle through the concentrations of authority in bureaucratic national legislatures constructed on Western political standards (Gordon, 2001). Thus, even into the twenty-first century, the African women continue to be marginalized socially, economically, and politically.” (Kirkscey, p.12)

            To help make an impact on the bureaucracy and decline of African women tribal lifestyles, Wangari created the Green Belt Movement. This organization was created to help prevent the decline in nature and the causing effects of global warming and the rapid changes in climate. This organization plants trees to help preserve the natural wildlife in Kenya and hundreds of international locations. Their mission is to “mobilize community consciousness-using tree planting as an entry point- for self-determination, equity, improved livelihoods and security, and environmental conservation.” The Green Belt Movement plants trees in hopes to empower Africans, especially women and girls, and to nurture their leadership and entrepreneurial skills as well as other women. They hope to continue to advocate internationally for the environment, good governance, equity and cultures of peace. Wangari received the Nobel Peace Prize as the first African women to receive such an honorable award. She has made an impact on many individuals and is known for her strong wisdom and sense of change. (Greenbelt Movement). It is sad to report that Wangari has recently passed away, but her organization and contribution to society continues to live on and impacts lives everyday.

            Will Allen is an individual who has also made an impact on society through his macro practice. Allen is known for his foundation of the Growing Power organization. He graduated from the University of Miami in 1971 with a B.A. He followed his college career with a few years in professional basketball and then in the corporate marketing area while working at Proctor and Gamble. (Jones, 2010). He created the Growing Power program in 1995 and has since then been the CEO and continued reaching out to communities sharing his encouragement and will to change.  

Allen first created the Growing Power program to help provide job opportunities for teens, and to also provide them with the fresh vegetables and fruits for cheaper costs. (Growing Power, 2012) He did this to make recognition of low-income families and their poor diets. Unable to spend the extra money on healthier food, the option of the food he was growing made it possible for these families struggling with poverty, obesity, diabetes to be more available and affordable for them.  (MacArthur, 2008) These products are produced on Allen’s 2 acres of land in Milwaukee. This land is home to 20,000 plants and vegetables, thousands of fish, chickens, goats, ducks, rabbits and bees. (Jones, 2010)

This program will continue to better the health standards of all income level families. The accessible and affordable products help to make people healthier and also help to make society as a whole healthier.  The way the foods are produced in the greenhouses reduces the flow of processed foods from flowing into the inner cities. It will help to continue keeping the air fresher and help keep diets fresher. The program will continue to provide job and learning opportunities throughout communities and other organizations.

These two community projects sparked my interest the most because they not only affect the people but the environment as well. I am a very strong believer in “going green.” Though I could be more environmentally friendly myself, I am a huge advocate for cleaner communities. Recycling and littering are two huge problem areas that I see everyday.  It is extremely hard to teach people new habits, like recycling, when they have never had to think about throwing a plastic bottle away and instead putting it in the recycle bin. I truly get upset when I see people liter and when I see trash on the streets. The little amount of time it takes to dispose of something correctly will go a long way.  The problem with littering and recycling is that most individuals don’t see it as much of a problem. Where the trash ends up isn’t something we see everyday and are exposed to frequently. It may be beneficial for people to see what littering and not recycling can do to damage the environment.

Wangari Maathai and Will Allen have opened my eyes to different ways that I never thought of on how to make and impact. Both of their projects help to better individuals and society involved and also helping the environment in the long run. Though their change occurs over long periods of time, it still makes a huge difference in many lives. I learned that you can take a simple idea like planting a tree or a vegetable plant and making it grow and make its impact grow enormously.  Taking a social issue or idea, giving it some tender love and care, and it will eventually make a positive change and grow into a healthy impacting change. I hope to make an impact on society and the environment one day. Even if its just in a small community or grows to become national, I hope to make something small grow into something hugely encouraging.

References

Greenbelt Movement. (2012). Wangari Maathai. Retrieved from

            Greenbeltmovement.org

Growing Power. (2012). Our history. Retrieved from

http://www.growingpower.org/our_history.htm

Jones, V. (2010, April 29) Heroes; Will Allen. TIME. Retrieved from

http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,1984685_1984949_1985243,00.html

Kirkscey, R. (2007). Accommodating Traditional African Values and Globalization: Narrative as Argument in Wangari Maathai's Nobel Prize Lecture. Women & Language, 30(2), 12-17.

MacArthur Foundation. (2008). 2008 MacArthur fellows. Retrieved from

http://www.macfound.org/site/c.lkLXJ8MQKrH/b.4537249/k.29CA/Will_Allen.htm