She led a women's peace movement, stood up to politicians and warlords, helped bring an end to a civil war that had ravaged Liberia for four years and won the Nobel Peace Prize for her efforts.
Now, Leymah Gbowee is visiting Cedar Crest College in Allentown to discuss her life in Liberia and show how she unified Muslim and Christian women across the country to help end the bloodshed.
Gbowee, a Liberian peace activist and winner of the 2011 Nobel Peace Prize, will speak 7 p.m. April 7 in the Samuels Theater as part of the college's Remiert Lecture Series.
"Leymah Gbowee is the type of strong-minded, independently thinking woman that we work to cultivate at our college," Cedar Crest College President Carmen Twillie Ambar said in a statement.
"I am excited to have her visit our campus next month," Ambar said. "I know she will inspire everyone who attends her lecture and teach us how together we can achieve the unimaginable."
The lecture is free to the public, but online reservations must be made in advance as seating is limited. Visit the college website, cedarcrest.edu, for more information.
Gbowee organized the women's peace movement that helped eventually lead to the election of Ellen Johnson Sirleaf in 2005, making Liberia the first African country to have a female president.
Gbowee's women's peace movement, which contributed to the exile of warlord and former Liberian President Charles Taylor, included several nonviolent methods, including sex strikes, according to Cedar Crest College.
Gbowee discussed her life and efforts during the civil war in her autobiography, "Mighty Be Our Powers," which was read by first-year Cedar Crest students last fall and discussed in seminars, lectures and classes.
Gbowee is founder and current president of the Gbowee Peace Foundation Africa, and also co-founder of the Liberia Reconciliation Initiative and Women Peace and Security Network Africa.
Reference
- http://www.lehighvalleylive.com
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