The Need for a Global Leader: Why #ImWithHer

The Need for a Global Leader: Why #ImWithHer
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My husband and I just returned from Nairobi, Kenya, where we attended a conference for AGRA, The Alliance for A Green Revolution in Africa. Attendees at AGRA included the former president of Tanzania, current presidents of Rwanda and Kenya, representatives from NGOs and private businesses such as the Gates Foundation, the Rockefeller Foundation, and USAID, as well as private business leaders, including Strive Masiyiwa of Econet. For three days David and I gathered with these global leaders to discuss the future of agriculture on the continent along with ways to establish agricultural resiliency in the face of the rapidly growing population and climate change. Together, these brilliant agricultural advocates pledged 35 billion dollars to help farmers create local economies and better markets for food over the next ten years.

As I sat there listening to some of the world's best and brightest leaders come together to combat issues that impact us all, I tried to imagine Donald Trump on stage with them. The divisive rhetoric that he has structured his campaign around, along with his ethnocentric perspective and short-sighted solutions to complex problems, would have hindered the high-level conversations and tainted the empathic and strategic undertones of the conference. I couldn't imagine a more problematic representative for our nation, especially in situations where developing countries look to partner with nations to share best practices and work in tandem with their NGOs, government, and private sector.

Our global population is approaching nine billion, and we need a diplomacy that ensures that the future of food will include resilient agriculture, not only for the United States and other developed countries, but also for the people and the nations that farm off of our land for basic survival and subsistence needs. We need a role model who embraces empathy and understands the depth and the complexity of food-related issues. We need a President who can feel, and entice us to feel, the fear of going hungry and the devastation of working tirelessly to feed our families while the fruits of our labor are turned to waste. We need a strategic leader with a proven track record to maintain our own livelihood and to build systems that support the livelihood and sustenance of humanity overall. In the upcoming election, there is only one candidate who has demonstrated her capacity to create positive change and to fight for a better planet, as it applies to all who inhabit it. We need Hillary Clinton.

I am tired of the commentary, slanderous nicknames rivalrous campaigns about Trump and Hillary, perpetuated by popular newspapers and networks for the purpose of ratings. It's nonsensical and diluting the seriousness of the situation. Trump has proven time and time again that he does not have the global vision or the sensitivity to lead our country. The great leaders that we as a nation admire, such as Martin Luther King, Jr. and Mahatma Gandhi, led with love, peace, determination and fortitude.

We have seen Trump belittle women, bully other candidates, endorse violence, and speak in epithets; a complete contrast to the values we admire. If we want to repair the state of our country and the state of our world, we need to do so through practicing strategic partnerships and active governance coupled with a nuanced cultural understanding. We cannot create peace or growth through instilling fear, spreading hate, or dismissing the enormity of these issues. Since her youth, Hillary has worked tirelessly for the African American and Latin American communities in the United States. She has been an advocate and pioneer for women worldwide. She has a longstanding track record of speaking for the voiceless and championing the marginalized.

While Hillary may have had some mishaps throughout her career, she is the only candidate with a deep knowledge of diplomacy and a stellar political track record. We're in a time of turmoil in the United States and our nation certainly needs nurturing. Trump says that he alone can be the hero to fix the issues we're facing in the US and beyond, but we know these issues are multifaceted and there is no single solution. We need a leader to ignite and guide a communal effort in creating an active administration for change. Hillary is the one to do it.

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