Wangari Maathai is one of my heroes (I guess that's heroines).

Hello!
I'm taking a break from studying to write here a bit. A few months ago, at my school's alternative documentary night, Cinema Politica, they screened a documentary called "Taking Root: The Vision of Wangari Maathai." I had heard of her before this, and had heard her speak very well on the need for healthy environments, for ourselves and the rest of the world.
However, I knew virtually nothing about her until I saw this documentary, which is AMAZING. Wangari Maathai was the first woman Eastern African woman to receive a PHD, in 1971, and then in 2004 she won a Nobel Peace Prize. Her story is absolutely incredible, and her fight for the environment became a fight against injustice and tyranny in Kenya.
Her experiences and accomplishments are far too numerous and gigantic for me to tell here, but here's the basic thread: after getting her education, she was a professor at the University of Nairobi. She was the first woman ever to do so. She was a lecturer, and she was also doing field work. She was faced with deforestation, poverty, malnutrition, diseases, and lack of water. Speaking with these poor people, she asked "Why don't you plant trees?"
So they started the Green Belt Movement, which began as a simple project in reforestation, learning, teaching and sharing knowledge, and sustainability. Then they became entagled with the government. At the time the President of Kenya was Daniel Toroitich Arap Moi. He became president in 1978, a year after the Green Belt Movement had begun. He turned out to be a corrupt dictator, who kept his power not by denying elections, but by cunningly manipulating the other parties and exploiting the tribal tensions between the people. He and Maathai ended up battling til the end. He held onto power for 24 years; he was constitutionally barred from running again for president, but his supporters floated the idea of amending the constitution in order to allow him to run again. He however apparently chose to retire. The movie says though that he was "defeated" in 2002 when he stepped down. It's very possible that he didn't choose to retire but was defeated, and he's only remembered as deciding to retire. Maathai was elected to parliament with the National Rainbow Council. When Moi stepped down, the occasion drew one of the largest crowds ever seen in Nairobi. The people were openly hostile towards him. Maathai became Assistant Minister of Environment, Natural Resources and Wildlife. She's since moved to a few different positions in the government, but lost elections in 2007, possibly due to fraud.
This covers very very little of her story.
Yesterday, 'Taking Root' aired on Independent Lens on PBS. I was hoping to find the whole movie available on pbs.org, but unfortunately it's not. Youtube and Google Video seem to only have small snippets of it.
Here's a preview:



Women's rights are actually a very important Environmental issue. I think this documentary kind of illustrates that. I'll write more on that subject tomorrow. Until then, keep believing in changing the world for the better. Because if you do, you will succeed.
Peace!