Photo by Nicole Avagliano on Unsplash
Course: Building a New System of Global Governance (2022)
Faculty Mentor: Sovaida Ma’ani Ewing
While taking Building a New System of Global Governance, the most important thing I gained from the coursework and the book is a new perspective on governance. To that end, I’m building conversations with those who are interested in the topic. In addition, I see current forms of government from a different perspective.
I have augmented my study of governance by starting a book group to read Viral Justice. Dr. Ruha Benjamin offers amazing insights and inspiration on how we can practice viral justice.
Back in the 1960s, ’70s, and ’80s, I was an activist. Then I had children and lived overseas for many years. At this point in my life, I am a student activist as a result of my commitment to study with the Wilmette Institute. Honestly, I have not been a great student as I do not post as frequently as I should. Having said that, I can now speak to a larger audience in Columbus, Ohio. The type of governance work that we do here is grassroots.
And, ultimately, education is the defining tool for how we move forward in good governance.
We need to start teaching governance in kindergarten and develop a curriculum that will stimulate good governance. Obviously, Ruhi children’s classes are just the beginning. In Washington state, when we lived there, indigenous history was part of a required and beautiful curriculum. I believe that the educational efforts of the next decade will be part of the process of developing good governance. We’ve seen enough of populist and autocratic governing on the daily news reports.
As an activist septuagenarian, I also am committed to working with a small interfaith group here in our town. Every day I ask myself, what more can I do? The governance course provided me with the framework for the future, and Dr. Benjamin’s book provides an outlook that supplements Dr. Ma’ani’s book that we used for the course, Building a World Federation: The Key to Resolving Our Global Crises.
Thank you so much for all the work that you and your team at the Wilmette Institute are able to carry out.
