'Mother of Peace' talks activism, humanity and passion at TU
Nobel Peace Laureate Leymah Gbowee visited Towson University Saturday, speaking at the Lecture Hall on campus.
By Briana Richert on Nov. 12, 2018
It was a cold Saturday night, but that didn’t stop the Lecture Hall from filling with lively chatter and excitement. In the middle of the Towson University campus, Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Leymah Gbowee was about to grace those assembled with her visions of peace.
When the ‘Mother of Peace’ entered, the lively chatter went silent. Gbowee addressed an audience that included TU President Kim Schatzel, delivering an enlightening message of creating a better world through nonviolent activism and individual responsibility.
She also stressed the need to distinguish between the pursuit of peace and a lack of war. “When people tend to talk about peace and security, it’s based on militarism. That’s the general perception that once we end wars we have peace, once we end wars we have security. It’s not just the armies. When you look at peace, you look at security, you’re looking at those conditions that make you feel like a human and make me feel like a human,” Gbowee said. “Until we get to a place in this world where we begin to reimagine peace and security not just from an army and a militaristic perspective, but from a perspective of human security where your basic human needs are met, we will continue to see these alarming rates of gun violence, we will continue to see an increase in militia groups and insurgence groups in the different parts of the world.”
Her remarks throughout the evening centered around an individual’s role in humanity.
“The goal for each and every one of us in this room is to see each other’s humanity, and once we can see each other’s humanity, that is the beginning of getting rid of militarism and embracing human security, leading to a sustainable peace in our world,” Gbowee said.
Gbowee also encouraged those in attendance to avoid “fake activism” reserved for whatever issue may be trending at the moment.
She continued: “I’m taking you on this journey because it’s high time that each and every one of us with some stake in human life, global affairs, begin to think about how we get involved in turning our upside-down world upright.”
And at the end of the night, in answering questions from those congregated in the Lecture Hall, Gbowee encouraged students to follow their passion.
“Consistency is tied to your passion,” Gbowee said. “When you encounter that thing that you are passionate about, it enrages you and gives you strength and power at the same time, that’s consistency.”
“Most times people follow money, and you see, money can never speak for you,” she continued. “It is the work that you do that speaks for you. And it’s that work that brings in money, money never brings work. Don’t be swayed with the wind. If you're passionate about something, nothing takes that away from you. It comes from inside.”
This story is one of several related to President Kim Schatzel’s priorities for Towson University: TU Matters to Maryland.