The election of Barack Obama to the presidency of the United States has sent shock waves around the world. Non-white minority populations from Brazil to India are brimming with excitement at the prospect of greater equality and more diversity in governments in the near future. In respect to race, the world has changed and is changing for the betterment of mankind as a whole..
Along with progress in racial equality, there is the subject of gender equality as well. A century ago, a woman's hope was largely confined to marrying a good man and raising a family. Now, women outperform men in business, academics and a variety of other fields - and still manage to fulfill the lead role as caretaker of the family. If anything, the 21st century will be the century of womankind and non-Caucasian men. After years of playing second fiddle, it is a welcome turn in history. Two talented women, one outgoing and one incoming, represent the rise of women to equal stature in opposite corners of the world. Both deserve plaudits for their courage and leadership.
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Helen Clark, Prime Minister of New Zealand
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Hillary Clinton may be the most well-known woman in the world, but Helen Clark managed to do what Hillary failed to do this year. Ms. Clark became the first female head of state in her country of New Zealand in 1999.
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After taking a Master of Arts degree with honors in politics from the University of Auckland in the 1970s, Ms. Clark joined the labor party and became an Minister of Parliament in 1981. Between 1984-1990, she held several cabinet posts including Minister of Housing, Minister of Conservation, Minister of Health and Deputy Prime Minister. By 1990, it was clear that she possessed the CV and the experience to assume the highest post in government.
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Over the past nine years, Prime Minister Clark has led a competent government. Under her 'Working for Families' platform, legislation has been enacted to ensure payment of a 'living wage' scale by employers and other benefits to the middle class. On foreign policy, she championed New Zealand as a nuclear-free zone and gave a voice of opposition to the Iraq war. As a fierce critic of the Vietnam War more than thirty years earlier, her position on the divisive conflict was not unexpected. If she had been born in the United States, she would have likely been passed over by voters for the presidency due to being an agnostic. In New Zealand, however, belief in God is not a prerequisite for holding office. Perhaps Americans will become more open-minded as the era of globalization accelerates.
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Despite the loss of her party at the polls just a few weeks ago, Prime Minister Clark, who will now leave government as a result, shall exit with dignity and a significant measure of popularity, and she should be celebrated for giving both men and women hope for brighter days ahead.
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Helen Grant, Minister of Parliament (UK)
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Unlike Helen Clark, Helen Grant was born in the UK and subjected to racial epithets as a child. Similar to President-elect Obama, she is the product of a black father and a white mother. After surviving a difficult childhood, which included not only taunts for being 'different' but also living in near poverty, Ms. Grant gained a place at the University of Hull and went on to take a law degree at the College of Law at Guildford. A subsequent move to London proved highly successful. As an attorney, she earned both a lucrative salary and professional accolades. In only a short time, her practice thrived and grew to have thirty staff members.
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Earlier this year, Ms. Grant became the first black woman to be a Minister of Parliament for the Conservative Party. Inspired by opposition leader David Cameron, she herself inspires many with her true tale of self-reliance and conservative values. Since the election of Barack Obama, a significant number of British voters have stated that they are more than ready to have elect a non-Caucasian Prime Minister. At 45 years-old, MP Helen Grant may indeed be in line for PM at some point in the not too distant future.
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To paraphrase Martin Luther King Jr., the world must continue its course in promoting people of either gender or any race to positions of leadership based solely on 'the content of their character'. If that occurs, we will happily be one step closer to 'one world' by the dawn of the 22nd century.
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J Roquen