I just been reading some of the many articles about this remarkable woman who passed away on Sunday. I wanted to share two of these articles with you, in order to honor her memory and reflect on the power we each have to choose a path toward our own noble goal.

Frances Moore Lappe and Anna Lappe wrote in their Huff Post Blog:

And so, as we grieve along with countless others around the planet, we remember these simple words of the Movement and what the planet calls us to do: Not to be assured that we will succeed, but that as Wangari did with those seven trees in 1977 — and for the rest of her life — that we make the simple, profound choice to act.

Jennifer Buffet, in her own Huff Post Blog, commented:

[Wangari] understood that women, working as powerful actors in their local contexts, can change the world. But women — and men — followed her because she was a visionary human leader. Indeed, she showed us that the connections that bind people to each other and to nature are the most transformative forces on earth.

I’m moved by reading about the powerful choices Wangari Maathai made to pursue her noble goal in the face of so many obstacles and great danger, and how she empowered so many others with her vision and courage.  I’m saddened at her death and inspired by her profound example of emotional intelligence in action.

Dr. Susan Stillman