Phenomenal Women

I'm usually not a huge fan of Oprah. Many times, her show topics seem completely irrevelent to me, my life and the issues of my people. Nevertheless, while channel surfing at 1:00 a.m. this morning, Oprah was on and for the next hour, I was choked with inspiration.

Her first guest was Queen Rania of Jordan. At the age of 36 she is the youngest Queen in the world. With beautiful honey brown hair and a dazzling smile, Queen Rania gladly challenges traditional perceptions of Arab royalty. Dedicated to making the world a better place for women and children through education and empowerment, her majesty is truly inspirational.

"Educate a woman and educate a family, educate a girl and educate the future... One of the most important things you can do for a girl is to empower her with her education. Once she has the education, she can then have control over her income, she can change her life, she can have choices."

A businesswoman, mother and wife, Rania remains on the forefront of international politics. Intelligent and captivating, she refuses to remain in the shadow of her husband, King Hussein of Jordan. Queen Rania believes in being global citizens; learning about other cultures and religions, questioning and thinking for ourselves.

Across the globe, women are all fighting for the same things; a mother wants the best for her children, a wife wants to be loved and respected by her husband and a woman wants to be treated equally by society. "Once you go beyond the mannerisms, the language, the cultural idiosyncrasies, you realize that you're basically the same."

Oprah's second guest was Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, who at the age of 67 became the new president of Liberia and Africa's first female president. Johnson-Sirleaf received her masters at Harvard University. Upon returning to her country, she was jailed twice for speaking out against the military regime, and exiled to Kenya. When she returned in 1997, she ran for president against corrupt leader Charles Taylor and lost. Nine years later, on January 16th, she was sworn in as President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf

Amongst the overwhelming tasks that lay ahead of her, including stabilizing Liberia's economy and eliminating the rule of lawlessness and war that has reigned for over a decade, the president also has a solid agenda for educating and empowering Liberian girls. With motherly grace, has also taken a strong stand on a topic that still remains taboo in much of Africa- rape. She has already passed new legislation making it illegal.

"The administration must endeavor to give Liberian women prominence in all affairs of our country. We will empower Liberian women in all areas of our national life. We will support and increase the weight of laws that restore their dignity and deal drastically with crimes that dehumanize them. We will encourage all families to educate all children, particularly the girl-child."