By Pam Blue
Here is to the brave and compassionate women who are taking a stand for what they want to see more of in the world.
One of these women is Dr. Artika R. Tyner. She not only sees women and youth as a critical part of making change happen, but she is also educating and inspiring them along with future lawmakers to be active participants in that change.
Much like Oprah Winfrey, who would go into her office closet and call upon the guidance of her ancestors during challenging times, Dr. Artika gains strength from revisiting her roots.
“You cannot continue to move forward in your life as a person and as a people unless you understand the value and power from which you have come.” — Oprah Winfrey
In her travels to Ghana, Dr. Artika not only reconnects with her own history but she uplifts the youth by offering both literacy support and leadership development initiatives. As an author who has created dozens of children’s books designed to enhance cultural awareness, her books offer a unique gift to the youth in Ghana as they witness themselves being represented on the pages. She is awakening dreams and planting seeds. She went on to found a nonprofit organization, Planting People Growing Justice (PPGJLI), to continue this important work of “planting people to grow justice and leadership,” recognizing that leadership and justice go hand in hand.
Dr. Artika doesn’t stop there. As she explains in her 2014 TED Talk, she reimagines education to be a system capable of bridging the gap between personal skills and moral responsibility and thus positively impacting social change. Whether it be what she refers to as “freedom fighters” of the past or “dream defenders” of our present, she recognizes that students or young people are at the forefront of both, and that there is no more effective way of awakening more fighters of freedom and defenders of dreams than within the educational system itself.
Having witnessed the injustices of society firsthand, she has completely devoted her life to developing and employing the skills necessary to create policy change.
She began this journey in law school where she could immerse herself in law or what she refers to as “a language of power.” She continued her journey as a freedom fighter by earning a Master of Public Policy and Leadership, a Doctorate of Leadership, and becoming the founding director of the Center on Race, Leadership, and Social Justice at the St. Thomas School of Law.
She now works closely with future lawyers guiding them to become the social engineers who not only have the tools to remove hidden barriers to social justice, but also the inner motivation to do so.
Women changemakers like Dr. Artika Tyner leave us inspired to consider our unique skillset and offer it forward as a gift to the moral fabric which will clothe future generations.
“What is in your hands to make a difference in the world?”
— Dr. Artika R. Tyner
Thank you Dr. Artika for walking the talk, inspiring justice and leadership globally, and creating a legacy of possibility for all.
With permission from Photo Gallery on Dr. Artika R.Tyner’s website
Featured image used with permission from Dr. Artika R. Tyner’s website
