IAC attended Vital Voices at the Kennedy Center April 4. We heard from Hillary Rodham Clinton and the Vital Voices Honorees who are serving on the frontlines of change. Creating innovative solutions to the world's most intractable problems, they are increasing peace and prosperity in their communities and improving the world for us all.
“When assessing the value of an activists work in the field of social justice, I consider the values of empathy, patience, focus and humility. Lina Khalifeh’s work with She-Fighter in Jordan and other Middle Eastern countries epitomized these values and illustrated a prime example of grassroots social change with long term sustainable impacts. Lina’s work began with empathy for women who didn’t have the mental, physical and emotional tools to defend themselves against gendered harassment. Lina worked hard to train herself proficiently in the martial arts, but was not satisfied until she shared her obtained empowerment with other women and changed their lives. Patience was crucial for the long-term success of She-fighter. In her speech, Lina mentioned that the effects of her first studio were not visible for a while, and there was a significant time period of uncertainty whether the time and financial investment would be worth it. It took firm patience and confidence in her vision to devote herself to the success of She-fighter. Focus also played a crucial role in She-fighter’s success. The mission of the organization is clear, concise and meaningful: teach women and girls the martial arts and self-defense so they feel physically and mentally equipped to assert empowerment when harassed by men. Sexism and harassment are large issues, in the Middle East as well as beyond. The objective of Lina’s work is not to end harassment everywhere, but to give women in her community tools to defend themselves. This focused and grassroots organization enables Lina to gain comprehensive insight on the women she serves and the efficacy of her work. Lastly, Lina exhibits humility in her teaching methods and relationships with the women she empowers. Lina’s approach to self-defense prioritizes the unique journey to empowerment of each woman who walks into the studio. Self-defense as a mechanism for social change is in itself humble. Defense implies protection and self-preservation, not offensive attack. When dedicating your life’s work to empowering suppressed women in the Middle East, humility is an ironic trait to value because it seems to imply the opposite of confident empowerment. Lina’s ability to balance humility and empowerment is unique and one of the reasons she is a powerful feminist leader.”
- Hayley Margolis
“I identified so much with honoree Jamira Burley because, like her, my older brother has inspired me to pursue great things in life. Burley founded Panther Peace Core after her brother became a victim of gun violence. Through peer mediation program in schools she caught the attention of the Governor who helped her spread the program to other high schools. She became the Executive Director of the Philadelphia Youth Commission. Burley is preventing gun violence and helping young people to avoid incarceration and inspire them to challenge societal norms. Through engaging her school community and then her state community, she is able to reduce violence and promote criminal justice reform. Burley also founded GenYNot which is an online platform for the younger generation to speak their mind about political issues and pose solutions. As her and many other honorees believe that the key to a brighter and better future is through the younger generations. Who are able to speak their minds and advocate for social change on a platform unknown to later generations as a path for social justice.
She is achieving a better and safer future for the high school students. Giving them a different path then the usual drug, theft, and gun violence that was rampant in poorer communities of Philly. Through the online platform she is reacting out to the larger community of the online world to give the young generation a voice to political issues. By hearing the youths comments and solutions, government officials are able to listen to the community they serve and maybe even take the ideas into fruition. This is important because she is addressing an issue all across America as gun violence is affecting not only our families, friends, but also threatening the lives of students in schools.”
- Annalise Nassani
“When senseless gun violence turned brother Andre into a statistic, Jamira Burley decided that she was going to combat the fatal epidemic. In her hometown of West Philadelphia, Burley established support groups, survivor networks, and activist outlets for younger generations who feel disadvantaged by their age. Her current work extends beyond the Philadelphia area and across the globe. For her incredible activism she earned the first Leadership in Public Life Award to be granted to an American.
Born into an impoverished Philadelphia neighborhood, Burley experienced crime and violence from an early age. At age 15, following the death of her brother Andre, she felt compelled to change the narrative in her community. She reflects, “I became aware of my place in solving these issues and how I could be a voice to help….” Her peer mediation program, the Panther Peace Corps, proved so effective that the Pennsylvania Governor funded the implementation of Burley’s program in the state’s most dangerous schools. Again proving that youth does not indicate inability, Burley was the youngest person to hold the Executive Director of the Philadelphia Youth Commission position. Her work as Executive Director included working toward criminal justice reform and equal access to education. Burley’s GenYNot, an online platform built for millennials to voice their opinions, launched in 2013. She currently holds the position of Head of Youth Engagement and Skills at the Global Business Coalition for Education.
Her achievements in youth-based activism are astounding. Despite facing discrimination for gender, race, background, and age, a teenage Burley fought to create a haven for all members of her community. She recognizes the power of one voice, especially when that voice comes from an impassioned young person. Burley’s advocacy laid the groundwork for such youth movements as the March for Our Lives, a protest against gun violence orchestrated by students at the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.
Jamira Burley empowers young people to take part in the political sphere, encouraging future leaders to take control now. For her advocacy and activism in impoverished neighborhood, she is wholly deserving of this award.”
- Emma Veon
“The 17th annual Global Leadership Awards held by Vital Voices at the Kennedy Center was an incredible and singular experience. It was delightful to see such inspirational women coming from many different backgrounds, all working towards something they are passionate about. The one women I chose to reflect on is Kiran Bir Sethi.
Kiran Bir Sethi received the Light of Freedom Award for her work on improving education in India. I thought it was incredible that Kiran took her experience of realizing that something was wrong with her son’s education system and decided to create her own. Her initiative and ambition was very obvious but she was very modest about it. Her new “I CAN” education model not only empowers children, but also encourages them to engage in the world the way that they want to. When I was watching the video played at the event, I was really inspired by the fact that the children were put first and that their ideas were not only valid but also valued. Instead of traditional school systems silencing children and telling them to sit down and listen, this “I CAN” model gives children a platform and believes in them in order to encourage change.
I think that this initiative is essential in changing the world. Children and young people are the future of this world. I feel as if school systems condition children to think that we have to wait our turn or that we are too young. In fact, while watching the video showed at the event, I felt my mindset change. Kiran’s school system really empowers children and shows them that they can create meaningful change and that the adults in their life will not limit them but bolster them. Her model has even reached 65 countries. I really believe that education nurtures children’s potential and a supportive and empowering system such as this one can change the world.”
- Jana Khalil
“All of the honoree woman who spoke were remarkable and it was an honor to be in their presence. One of the honorees who especially stuck out to me was Kiran Bir Sethi. Sethi is a teacher who has helped to revolutionize education in India through incorporating the design process into school. This was intriguing because I worked closely with a teacher in high school who also heavily used the design process and incorporated design thinking into his classes and work.
Sethi calls her design process “I can”. She has 4 steps in her system: Feel, Imagine, Act, Share. In this process, one “feels” a problem. This is where the identification of a problem takes place. Usually this is a “bump in the road” or “wrinkle in the blanket” type of problem. It just something that doesn’t feel right or doesn’t work well with one’s everyday life. After identifying the problem, one moves on to the “imagine” step. This is where one ideates ideas to solve this identified problem. Once enough creative solutions have been ideated and there is some semblance of the best solution, one moves on to the “act” step. In this step, one builds their design and tests it out. If it works and is usable, convenient, and solves the problem one was trying to solve, one can move onto the “share” step. In this step, one shares their new creation and product with others in order to improve the world and community around them.
This process was pretty much exactly the same design process I used with a teacher I worked closely with in high school. He taught me that designers always start with two central questions: “Why is the world the way it is?” and “How can we make it better?”. With these two questions, one has the power and ability to “identify” problems, “Ideate” solutions, “create” products, and “share” these products with others. Design thinking is significant because it engages and empowers students. These two words (engage and empower) are crucial because they help to make school a place where students truly feel inspired and happy and as though they have the tools and ability and self-agency to act on their dreams and reach toward the future without having their own creativity and curiosity squashed.
Sethi is remarkable because she was able to single handedly notice this problem in her own son as he attended school and was able to piece together her own design process simply from doing the design process herself! She identified or “felt” a problem, “imagined” a better future, “acted” on this idea, and “shared” this idea with others by opening her own school. Her ability to share this dream proves the power of design, especially in education and how we can make differences in the world around us, no matter how small we feel. We simply must share.”
- Calista Ragland
Social Justice in Your Own Backyard
“One of the most inspiring awardees in my opinion was Jamira Burley. I had first heard of Burley outside of the context of Women’s Leadership Program. I had attended the March for Our Lives the day before and was particularly captured by its drive to be intersectional, including chants such as “Black Lives Matter.” While scrolling through social media, I found Jamira Burley, who had gone viral for her speeches about our nation’s betrayal to black and brown youth in our conversations about gun control. Immediately, I was drawn to her passionate and unapologetic demeanor. What makes Burley, and all of the awardees, so good at what they do is that they engage with the communities that they grew up in, surrounded by cultures and people and problems they know too intimately. They take all of the trials and challenges thrown in their face from a young age and decide that there is nothing to be done but act, seek justice, and find restoration. This is markedly different from ideas of change-making rooted in voluntourism or even U.S. development: rather than tackle the hard-hitting problems Burley could see from afar, she went into her own backyard. This is what makes her work so engaged and effective. When she sought to mitigate the violence she saw among youth, and which took her own brother, she built a program based on what she saw at her own high school. That year, she reduced violence by 30% and was called upon to expand the project to other schools in her area. Then, she was made the youngest ever leader on youth and community development by her city government. The example of Jamira Burley’s work is so important because it allows the audience to see that all of us are capable of making change. Not only does Burley’s work grapple with systematic change among institutions of education, government, and our own cultures, Burley herself paves a path that sparks hope and inspiration amidst conditions that we’ve long normalized, such as poverty and violence. She shows us that ordinary girls become incredible leaders, if only they believe that taking action is possible and know that being complicit is not an option. While unsaid, this theme was what brought all of the stories at the Vital Voices awards together. At the end of the day, all of us suffer, face injustices within our communities, and are hurt by irreparable pain, but we are capable of creating lasting change.”
- Ariel Santikarm
