CWL Board Members Serve as Envoys to Africa

by Angela J. Davis, CWL District 7 Governor

Members of Lise Pearlman’s Africa delegation enjoying a moment of relaxation

Recently, two members of CWL's Board of Governors, Kathy Clark and Lise Pearlman, had the extraordinary experience of traveling to Africa with a delegation of other professionals.

Both trips occurred under the auspices of People to People (on the web at ambassadorprograms.org), an organization founded by President Eisenhower that coordinates the travel of professional delegations to destinations in the developing world.

The Hon. Jim Herman, past president of the California State Bar and a CWL member, coordinated the delegation on which Lise Pearlman served; and, owing to an extremely unfortunate car accident, spent most of the trip recuperating in a Johannesburg hospital. Nonetheless, the delegation was able to present honors from CWL, the State Bar, and the California Association of Black Lawyers. (CWL's contribution was funded entirely by voluntary donations from individual CWL members.) Below, Lise and Kathy share some of their reflections with CWL:

Q: What was the focus of your travel and what, in particular, made you want to visit Africa at this time in your career?

Lise: I had been on two People to People trips to Eastern Europe (1991 and 1999). When they sent me the letter about South Africa last summer, I could not resist. The focus was access to justice, elimination of bias within the profession, human rights, ethics in the profession and independence of the judiciary in the new democratic South Africa. I wanted to see firsthand what changes had been wrought in the last decade since the apartheid government was peacefully ousted in favor of the election of an ANC majority Parliament led by President Mandela and his successors and I wanted to show support for the new government.

Kathy: My group consisted of 50 delegates from the Association For Conflict Resolution (ACR), a United States organization. I've long been interested in the cultures, economies, spiritual practices, and natural beauty of much of Africa. I had just completed a book about the truth and reconciliation process in South Africa when I received the invitation to become a delegate. The timing was perfect. I also thought this is a time in which we could use more truth and reconciliation and peaceful conflict resolution and I wanted to serve as an ambassador of goodwill.

Q: What was it like being in Africa?

(Photos courtesy of Lise Pearlman’s Africa journey)

Lise: This my first trip to Africa. It was incredible to be there.

Kathy: My impressions were many and varied. We saw the most horrific poverty in the townships around Johannesburg and Cape Town. As far as the eye could see, once you get out of the downtown business districts dotted with skyscrapers, were what South Africans call "informal settlements." In actuality, they're cardboard shacks, dirt roads, rows of outhouses, and schools. At the same time, the Ambassadors' Program had booked us into very high-end hotels with marble floors and thousands of dollars of flowers everywhere. As a result, we saw the very rich and the very poor.

Q. Any observations on the status of women?

Lise: Women have a long way to go. One woman in our delegation wanted to travel by herself for a couple of weeks following our trip and we all strongly advised her against it. It just isn't safe for a woman alone. We met an inspiring young woman, Natasha Primo, executive director of an Internet-based organization for women in Africa (www.womensnet.org.za). We also met Michelle O'Sullivan who heads Women's Legal Centre, a group of four women lawyers focusing on disadvantaged women plaintiffs in test suits to advance women's rights and gender equality (www.wlce.co.za). Also, in Cape Town we met judicial officers interested in creating their first children's waiting room. ( I will be working with Alameda County Superior Court Trial Court Administrator Sherri Camps and WLAC to establish a sister city approach to assisting them in getting that project launched. Stay tuned.)

Q. Any other lasting impressions?

Kathy: We have so very much to learn from Africa. I went on this trip because I wanted to know more about the experience of community and conflict resolution in South Africa. I wanted to listen. The poverty is horrific. AIDS is devastating. Most of the children in the orphanage that we visited had lost their parents to AIDS. Also, acting as a goodwill ambassador in whatever way we can is urgent, as is the need to raise consciousness of the ongoing suffering in Africa as well as South Africa's amazing example of peace and reconciliation.