“Even when I’m a mess, I still put on a vest, with an “S” on my chest, oh yes I’m a Superwomen”, these are the words Alicia Keys sings in chorus of her empowering anthem. I really when I first heard this song, I love it. I loved it because it was sang from a woman so sure of her strength and capabilities. I loved the video even more as it showed women from all walks of life working hard and making it.
That’s what it comes down to, powerful women achieving great things and therefore inspiring all those around them. For me, it’s these two women, Coretta Scott King and Precious Moloi Motsepe
These women appeal to me and inspire me for different reason, there are qualities with each other them that leave me in awe of their brilliance and resilience.
Coretta Scott King, was described as by Andrew Young, the former United Nations ambassador and long-time family friend, as “a woman born to struggle and she has struggled and she has overcome." Mrs. King rose from rural poverty in Alabama to become an international symbol of the civil rights revolution of the 1960's and a tireless advocate for social and political issues ranging from women's rights to the struggle against apartheid in South Africa that followed in its wake.
When she met Martin Luther King, who would then be her husband, on their first date he told her, “The four things that I look for in a wife are character, personality, intelligence and beauty. And you have them all." But more often, Mrs. King has been seen as an inspirational figure around the world, a tireless advocate for her husband's causes and a woman of enormous spiritual depth who came to personify the ideals Dr. King fought for. "She'll be remembered as a strong woman whose grace and dignity held up the image of her husband as a man of peace, of racial justice, of fairness," said the Rev. Joseph Lowery.
More than being Dr King’s wife, Coretta was active in the movement in her own right, and Dr King said, "I wish I could say, to satisfy my masculine ego, that I led her down this path, but I must say we went down together, because she was as actively involved and concerned when we met as she is now." So when she stood in for her husband at the Poor People's Campaign at the Lincoln Memorial on June 19, 1968, she spoke not just of his vision, but of hers, one about gender as well as race in which she called upon American women "to unite and form a solid block of women power to fight the three great evils of racism, poverty and war." She joined the board of directors of the National Organization for Women as well as that of his Southern Christian Leadership Conference and became widely identified with a broad array of international human rights issues rather than being focused primarily on race.
To the end Mrs. King remained a beloved figure, a woman who overcame tragedy, held her family together, and became an inspirational presence around the world. She carried her own burden, a resilience and a strength about her in the face of adversity that has made her more than just a symbol.
Precious Moloi Motsepe is the embodiment who did not let anything define her and what she was capable of. At first glance she is Patrice Motsepe’s wife, but she is so much more than that. She is a medical doctor turned businesswoman. She moved to the United States of America with her family where she worked in the teenage and women’s health areas at the Medical College of Virginia. Upon her return to South Africa she opened one of the first women’s health clinics in Johannesburg.
As a business woman, she oversees AFI whose mission it is to promote and develop South Africa fashion, which it does via its annual Fashion Weeks in South Africa. But on the social side as well, she says “We get involved with a lot of corporate social investment projects,” she continues, citing a Cape Town based clothing bank as an example. “This is a hub that looks after women who have come out of terrible situations. We help to teach them marketing, finance, you name it, and so they can run their own businesses. We then collect clothing the big retailers can’t sell, and the ladies fill the gap, selling them in the townships for their own profit”
The success of AFI’s mission to ensure the fashion and clothing industry plays a role in supporting and developing small businesses has been in getting several designers known locally and creating domestic demand for their products.
More than being a doctor, a business woman, a mother and a wife, she still makes time for all her philanthropic pursuits. She’s Patron of both Child Welfare South Africa and BirdLife South Africa. She’s former President of the Cancer Association of South Africa and is now its lifetime member. She serves on the boards of Synergos Institute, an organisation dedicated to addressing global poverty and social injustice through collaboration with governments, business and civil society; Endeavour, a global non-profit organisation dedicated to transforming emerging countries by supporting high-impact entrepreneurs; the Women’s Leadership Board (Harvard Kennedy School) that supports research, teaching and training; and the Women and Public Policy Programme in Gender Equality. She was appointed Champion for Africa by Gift from Africa, a Global Fund Initiative that seeks to mobilise private-sector support in Africa in the fight against HIV/AIDS, TB and malaria.
She is a humanitarian, in other words, and a benefactor, a spokesperson and an activist, an eco-warrior and an advocate for change. Precious has shown herself as a woman passionate about the uplifting and empowering people as well as providing opportunities for them to excel.
Both these women inspire me, and it with them that I have come to learn that as women, we can be who we want to be. It does not need to be prescribed by anyone and anything. We decide how we want to shape our lives. I am learning every day that the feminine template is being strong and successful in all of our endeavours, there is nothing to big or too small.
We are brilliant.
- Written by Malebo Moloto
- #TLOTB Feature Writer
No comments:
Post a Comment