Last month, my dear mother had the privilege of publishing her first global op-ed. My friends at UN Foundation contacted me while I was in Uganda and requested to get in touch with her. They wanted her to participate in the Global Mom Relay (more info here). To say the least, as a frequent Op-Ed scribbler, this hit home more than you know. I often rail about Africa being left out of the conversation on global issues. The UN Foundation has on various occasions been guilty of committing the sin of overlooking Africa’s contribution to any global discussion. Kudos to them for breaking through the comfort zone. My favorite paragraph from her piece:
My eldest son, Teddy (TMS Ruge) stepped in and agreed to support her as she completed a finance degree at Makerere University. She is now a General Manager at Uganda Medical Plants Growers, Ltd. It is a mother’s dream come true when your children support each other’s passion to succeed. Pamela is an inspiration to me, her sisters and other young women in the community. It is my hope that she also inspires her young girls to reach higher than she ever did.
I am over the moon that they reached way beyond the expected to accomplish this. They could have easily chosen any mom from the list of prominent African Diaspora women. To extend the same microphone offered to Queen Rania of Jordan, Elizabeth Gore and Melinda Gates really touched me. Mothers are the same, no matter what economical, religious, geographical, or political strata they belong to.
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