The late Wangari Maathai was a biologist, environmentalist, and the first African woman to win a Nobel Peace Prize. She was born under British colonial occupation and schooled by Catholic missionaries. But when she looked back on her childhood near the end of her life, she realized her family’s Kikuyu culture had imparted her with an intuitive sense of environmental balance. Maathai was steadfast in her determination to fight for the twin issues of conservation and human rights — and planting trees was a symbol of defiance.
Wangari Maathai founded the global Green Belt Movement, which has contributed today to the planting of over 52 million trees. She was the 2004 recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize. Her books include the memoir “Unbowed” and “Replenishing the Earth: Spiritual Values for Healing Ourselves and the World.” She’s also one of the 100 heroic women featured in the book “Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls.” She died in 2011 at the age of 71.
Find the transcript for this show at onbeing.org.
Sandra Cisneros — A House of Her Own
[Unedited] Sandra Cisneros with Krista Tippett
Ezra Klein — How We Walked Into This and How We Can Walk Out
[Unedited] Ezra Klein with Krista Tippett
Introducing ‘Poetry Unbound’
Alison Gopnik — The Evolutionary Power of Children and Teenagers
[Unedited] Alison Gopnik with Krista Tippett
Ruby Sales — Where Does it Hurt?
[Unedited] Ruby Sales with Krista Tippett
Joe Henry — Welcoming Flies at the Picnic
[Unedited] Joe Henry with Krista Tippett
Brené Brown — Strong Back, Soft Front, Wild Heart
[Unedited] Brené Brown with Krista Tippett
Bessel van der Kolk — How Trauma Lodges in the Body
Greg Boyle — The Calling of Delight: Gangs, Service, and Kinship
[Unedited] Greg Boyle with Krista Tippett
"Close" by David Whyte read by Krista Tippett
"América" (parts IV-V) by Richard Blanco
Marilynne Robinson and Marcelo Gleiser — The Mystery We Are
[Unedited] Marilynne Robinson and Marcelo Gleiser with Krista Tippett
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