Emmanuel Dolo Perils and Promise: Toward A New Generation of Women Leaders Defining the Problem Since the beginning of Liberia as a nation state in 1847, the nation’s dominant pattern has been characterized by subservient and submissive women under men. One troubling consequence of this norm has been the increasing socialization and isolation of women to homemaking roles, coupled with the lack of economic opportunities, services, and the social networks that are critical for them to be full participants in national life. This condition is a result of public policies that have entrenched the “old boys network” and provided powerful incentives for men to be the sole breadwinners in many cases, and women the perennial homemakers or sexual toys to be preyed on by men for financial gain.1 Until relatively recently, Liberian girls and women did not experience sustained efforts on their behalf by social justice advocates, nor was the plight of women deeply embedded in the search for lasting solutions to our national challenges. This is beginning to change. Women are becoming breadwinners in greater numbers and hopefully the pay-off is also being reaped in psychosocial independence from the clenched fists of patriarchy. Taking cues from the literature on community organizing, organizational change, and advocacy,2 this paper suggests some transformational approaches to concrete organizing among women in Liberia. It addresses the male-dominated culture as an opportunity for community building among women. The principle that is and should be at the heart of any organizing effort is building a solid foundation for intentionally fostering long-term relationships and relationship skills development among women and progressive men, the latter who positively identify with the plight of women. Four arenas for organized action or strategies for organizing are offered to guide the process of change making that women in Liberia should embark upon. That is, if they are to be taken seriously by the patriarchal culture in which we are all saturated and socialized. These are: leveraging the moment; organizing and building to increase women's strengths; probing and understanding the complex needs of women; sustaining the power that women have acquired.3 Women leaders are greatly needed to advance a new set of values, policies, and practical changes to address the social, political, economic and cultural inequities facing Liberian society. These have to be women leaders whose values are consistent with the empowerment of women to stand up when the rights of women are being eroded. The full and effective participation of women leaders in decision making arenas can be achieved, not solely by cheering a woman president on, but seeking opportunities for recouping rights that have for so long being trampled upon, leadership development, and meaningful involvement in the daily life of the nation; so that women can influence policy for their well-being. Women are the bedrock of many, if not, most communities in Liberia, perhaps all societies in the world. Women are therefore needed to impact the quality of life that society leads. This is not to argue that women are the only leaders who can effectively promote the well-being of girls and women. The Sirleaf administration is proving that having a woman leader is not a guarantee that policy outcomes will be favorable to women under female leadership. This means that leadership in Liberia needs people who can broaden the discourse on nation-building beyond narrow confines (gender, ethnic identity, class, etc.) and mitigate harmful policies on all Liberian people, while creating the impetus for policy to have positive impact on the society. Yet, it should be underscored that the minimal presence of women in policy making arenas excludes a critical mass of female perspectives that could add essential value to the national debate. Whether intentional or just so ingrained in our society that we cannot seem to want to reverse it, several barriers stand in the way of women participating in the arenas of governance that could profoundly impact the lives of us all. The reasons vary from institutionalized sexism; the scarcity of opportunities for women to gain skills, training, and positions that can raise their leverage in society or lead to policy making positions; isolation of women to menial jobs; homemaking; and the scarcity of strongly organized women organizations or constituencies that can respond when the prospects of women are under fire. In addition, low literacy rates and chronic poverty among women, and the related psychosocial transplant, namely, strong dependence on men for livelihood, should be addressed as hidden contributing factors and barriers to their desire to organize. We are a society that still has yet to acknowledge that the wisdom and experience of women hold promise beyond enhancing the quality of life for girls and women. Women leaders can help create substantive life changes that lead to greater economic and social equity across all sectors and populations of our society. The entire nation suffers when it pays limited or no attention to the voices of a population that constitutes more than half of the nation and also includes our daughters, sisters, mothers, aunts, spouses, and loved-ones. We have often talked about the promise of democracy in abstract terms, failing to realize that democracy will not be fulfilled in Liberia, if women and all oppressed populations remain in the same subservient position that they have been in forever. The time has come for faith-based institutions, political organizers, advocates, businesses and other community service providers, including NGOs to make women’s empowerment not just a matter of talk, but deed as well. The absence of women in decision making that shapes their lives and that of their children is quite disturbing when painted against the backdrop of some of the dismal social conditions playing out in the country. Committed and very talented women exist in Liberian communities all over the world, but the opportunities to develop their skills and to motivate them to participate in change making are dismal. Venues for women leadership development would provide the necessary tools and techniques to increase the proportion of women leaders in the country. While the need for increased participation of women in policy and, more broadly, change making, is clear, the pathways or steps for making this possible stand in total contrast. There is an absence of strong organizations to serve as the vehicles for nurturing and developing the leadership competencies of women and then putting these skills into action. The result has been a male-dominated leadership paradigm, and even when women rise to the top, as Ellen Johnson Sirleaf has done, the leadership culture of men is replicated, which treats women as second class citizens. Internalized oppression has the way of manifesting as the regurgitation of the practices of one’s oppressors. We saw that in the case of indigenous leaders who practiced the same oppressive techniques of their Americo-Liberian oppressors, who practiced the oppressive techniques of slave masters, and now we are seeing it in the leadership styles of a woman president. Leadership in business or the public sector in Liberia has always been a province dominated by men. The need for greater numbers of forward-thinking and well-prepared Liberian women cannot be overemphasized. A study has to be commissioned by the Government of Liberia or a private philanthropic organization to assess how leadership development, with a specific emphasis on women can be initiated in Liberia. This could result in full understanding of the complexity of women’s plight and subsequent steps to increase the number of Liberian women prepared to influence the nation building process. The aging population of both Liberian men and women, which is on the rise, and the lack of well-trained Liberian women and men to fill the vacuum of leadership, makes this a necessity. Leveraging the Moment: The Knuckles Crisis Nearly all advocacy campaigns are by-products of crisis, and the high profile case of misconduct involving former Minister of State for Presidential Affairs Willis Knuckles, as well as the preceding allegation involving Representative Kett Murray have helped to focus our minds on the need for change on behalf of girls and women. The incident of rape in Gbarnga and others before that in Monrovia, only indicate the need to leverage these moments to advance a broader advocacy agenda for Liberian women. This is not to neglect the fact that proactive planning and strategic decision making are essential to change making, but when situations present themselves, we must make the most of those opportunities. That is why Liberian women must spring into action, and use the Knuckles case as a basis for building a women’s movement or bring more visibility to bear on women’s issues. I offer some practical steps that women can take immediately: Women should not forget to provide an avenue for caring for and supporting the women that were in those pictures, if that opportunity is possible, but within the bounds of protecting their privacy. It is clear how much trauma these events have caused them and to heal from the unwarranted attention, they would need a ring of support that is often the last thing we pursue. Remember that the rich and famous in this case, Mr. Knuckles, is receiving support from the powerful forces out there, including paid emissaries and public relations agents recruited on his behalf. Liberian women and their supporters should try to get the facts on what happened and not rashly respond to the situation, particularly calling for an investigation without assessing the facts alongside all legal options. They should try to bring all women stakeholder groups and male supporters together to strengthen their advocacy infrastructure. They should clarify the kinds of demands that should be made on the Sirleaf administration and lawmakers. They should form coalitions with the media and use it as a resource for keeping their concerns in the news. The notion that people should wait for a repeat of this situation to occur before intervening only prolongs the continued oppression of girls and women. Organizing and Building Coalitions Liberian women cannot make a case for change by a disorganized or sparsely connected coalition network. The issues that they are facing cut across individual or narrow boundaries that often divide groups. Hence, the need to develop a broad-based vision for change is necessary so as to achieve their common goal of social equity. Those who have power will not relinquish it so easily. They will become defensive and get even deeper into their foxholes, thus resisting change. That is why a strong organizational structure is a necessary step in the process of change making. On whom and where do they want to exert pressure? In my mind, they have a person in the Executive Mansion, who is still an ally, although a reluctant one at best. Alerting President Sirleaf about the political consequences of her inability to take on their cause with full force will go a long way. Undoubtedly, the Liberian media and even the international press will take quick notice of this situation, thus accruing important advantages. Through collective soul-searching, the group will also achieve collective problem solving. Developing a Comprehensive Understanding of Women’s Needs There is a false assumption that because women are organizing this effort, they automatically have an understanding of all women’s issues. The needs of women are diverse, distinguished by geography, social status, age cohort, education, and several other factors. That is why as women organize, they must be representative of all sectors of the female population, not forgetting to include Liberian men who have demonstrated a commitment to the cause of women. Creating a strong research contingent that would help in gathering data as well as a strong legal team to provide the legal options available is essential. Reverse sexism will not be healthy. There should be no talk about excluding men, and making this thrust an exclusive women affair. Liberian women need all the numbers that they can get in support of their cause. This is not to suggest that every man who comes knocking should be included in fighting for their cause, especially if such a person is known to be openly working against the advancement of women. Simply, I am advocating for an inclusive process that sets itself apart from the “old boys’ network.” Sustaining the Newly-Acquired Power Just as power can be obtained in crisis situations, it can be lost if not guarded and protected with absolute care. The way power is maintained is by making the reform effort systematic, aiming it at the structures that are used by opponents to entrench their power. The important similarity that Liberian women share is not their gender, but their plight as an oppressed class, whose progress is blocked by well-placed men and women. Indeed, they must integrate inclusion, equity, and fairness with their strategy. They must keep their constituency fully engaged in the process of change making. They can achieve this by empowering women within all communities to fundamentally change the ways in which they are involved in social relationships with men and women. Women should take responsibility for their lack of discretion when they have moral or legal lapses, and not seek to blame their personal actions on men. Men have been known to use that tactic, and have succeeded in re-victimizing the victims of their actions. Holding oneself accountable – soul searching to find where you went wrong is a huge step in change making that is often overlooked. Furthermore, women organizers and leaders should evaluate their efforts continuously to highlight progress made, but to also assess areas that need changes. Conclusion It was Martin Luther King, Jr. who wrote in his Letter from A Birmingham Jail that: “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” Liberian society is known for tolerating injustice against specific groups so long it does not affect their in-group members directly. We must halt and reverse such trends because it has placed all Liberians at risk for communal violence and wholesale state failure. For decades, ideological and cultural premises for the oppression of women in Liberia have gone unchallenged; and even a large segment of women have internalized their oppression and accepted their fate. Members of the gender holding power, males, have been inclined toward holding power forever, but the Knuckles case has revealed the real face of the social evil confronting our daughters, sisters, mothers, grandmothers, and aunts. No longer should we men find solace in our complicity to oppress women. The repression of women harms children, communities, and society at-large. It segregates people based on gender and concentrates poverty and even magnifies its adverse effects on the quality of life and, worse, on the psyche of everyone. When married with high rates of illiteracy, women’s oppression isolates the most disadvantaged people from educational and economic opportunities and a vicious cycle of recrimination is bred. In the end, progress gets stalled, even regressed, and the gaping hole created, gets filled by anti-democratic predators. Footnotes 1. “Power Analysis: Agencies and Players,” No More Secret Candy Store: A Grassroots Guide to Investigating Development Subsidies (2002). www.goodjobsfirst.org/research/resman.htm 2. Bell, Judith. “Learning to Lobby: Steps to successful legislative advocacy,” Race, Poverty & the Environment: A Journal for Social and Environmental Justice (Fall 2003); Avner, Marcia. The Lobbying and Advocacy Handbook for Nonprofit Organizations: Shaping Public Policy at the State and Local Level. St. Paul, MN: Amherst H. Wilder Foundation Publishing Center (2002); Benton Foundation. Strategic Communications in the digital age: A best practices toolkit for achieving your organization’s mission. www.benton.org/publibrary/toolkits/stratcommtool.html 3. The Center for Public Integrity. Citizen Muckraking: How to Investigate and Right Wrongs in Your Community. Monroe, ME: Common Courage Media (2000); Center for Public Interest Law. Advocacy Training Seminar (1995). Training Materials; Center for Third World Organizing (CTWO). www.ctwo.org; The Center for an Urban Future. The Big Idea: A step-by-step guide to creating effective policy reports. New York, NY: City Limits Community Information Service, Inc. (2002). www,nycfuture.org Copyright © Emmanuel Dolo Emmanuel Dolo