The power of voice.

I spent a few days this week at the UN General Assembly in New York.  It was crazy. It was chaotic. It was exciting and powerful and really showed me the power of voice and passion and a community of people making topics or ideas into real issues.  I wrote here a few months ago about the fact that I didn’t really see much value in marching and screaming about whatever upsets your heart and mind and passion; I really felt that doing something about it, loving instead of screaming, action and change and the work of one’s hand was more important, practical, and beneficial.  However, through many thoughtful conversations that sprung from that post, and my experience at the UNGA, I’ve completely shifted my thinking and understanding on advocacy.  A leader I know said it, the UNGA is basically a multimillion-dollar pep rally; that really, really bothered me.  The money spent could be put into action; could pay for food for the hungry or surgery for those that need it or new roads or new hospitals or any one of the millions and billions of things that are desperately needed. I felt that way about the money spent for me and our team to go there; is this really the best use of funds? We really just talked with people about the fact that we think surgery is important and the data supports this; but did we accomplish anything?

The resounding answer is yes.  Because, as one of my colleagues said, issues aren’t issues until people are talking about them. That's the power of voice. Surgery will never get its place at the table or on the global health agenda without people asking for it, pleading for it, demanding it, fighting for it.  Issues aren’t issues until someone decides they are and rallies a group of likeminded people who won’t take no for an answer and will work tirelessly to meet and network and share and speak and chip away at the walls that divide us, regardless of what the issue is. For me it’s surgery; for others, it’s social justice or equality or race or a million other worthy issues that wouldn’t be issues unless someone was talking about them.

So I see and get and embrace and understand in an entirely new way; and want to support those people who keep trying and calling and speaking and chipping away at the walls; it’s much more important than I ever realized.  But also; it’s not for everyone.   If everyone was advocating there’d be no one doing the work on the ground, in the trenches, actually teaching or writing the policies or organizing the donors or installing the new stuff.  And while I’m really, really grateful to have had the opportunity to experience the UNGA and understand more fully the power and purpose of advocacy, my truth is I would rather be in the trenches. 

This afternoon I fly back across the globe, to a country I’ve only visited as a tourist and am thrilled to get to work in; the government of Tanzania and several other entities have partnered with us to see what we can do to improve surgical services. I’m thrilled to be returning to Africa; the truth is I’m much more comfortable in an African market than I am in an American supermarket, and I can’t wait to experience the Tanzanian culture and learn more Swahili and kick my feet in the red dust of the continent that is inextricably woven through the fibers of my soul.

It’s been a challenging season since arriving in Boston, but the good news is there is always good news; things have really been looking up and I’ve got about a dozen half-written blog posts about things I love about Boston and about how hard it is to find community and about the dear John letter I wrote to the church and about how even though I wasn’t sure I wanted it anymore, it still wants me and won’t let me just bail.  And I’m grateful for that. But for now I’ve got a plane to catch and should probably throw a few things in a suitcase; thank you for being a part of my story, of the journey, of the ups and the downs and the joys.  I’m so grateful.

Until next time -