Dr. Regina Benjamin
Happy Monday!
I am so excited about President Obama’s selecting Dr. Regina Benjamin, a fabulous and fierce African American woman, as the new Surgeon General. What a way to start a Monday! Click here to read the article from the Associated Press: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_surgeon_general.
Dr. Benjamin is founder and CEO of the Bayou La Batre Rural Health Clinic in Bayou La Batre, Alabama. Her clinic is making a difference in the lives of the underserved poor in a small fishing village with approximately 2,500 people. She is a graduate of Xavier University in New Orleans (B.A. in Chemistry), University of Alabama at Birmingham (M.D.), and Tulane University (MBA). Dr. Benjamin was named by Time Magazine as one of the “Nation’s 50 Future Leaders Age 40 and Under. ” She was featured in a New York Times article, “Angel in a White Coat, ” and was chosen “Person of the Week” by ABC’s World News Tonight with Peter Jennings, “Woman of the Year” by CBS This Morning, and “Woman of the Year” by People Magazine. Click here to learn more about Dr. Benjamin and her Bayou La Batre Rural Health Clinic: www.bayouclinic.org/SubMenu.aspx?id=10.
President Obama’s administration has a cadre of powerful African American women affectionately known as the “Obama women.” They inspire me to live a full life, do my best, and serve my community and country by sharing my gifts. I celebrate the “Obama women” in my new book, That Which Awakens Me: A Creative Woman’s Poetic Memoir of Self-Discovery(Summer 2009 – iUniverse, Inc.). See the poem below. Let me know what you think.
What do you think about Dr. Regina Benjamin?
Who are your favorite Obama women?
My favorites are First Lady Michelle Obama, Valerie Jarrett, Desiree Rogers, Susan Rice, Lisa Jackson, and Dr. Regina Benjamin.
Enjoy your day and week!
Peace, Creativity, and Power to the Obama Women,
Ananda
First Lady Michelle Obama
Desiree Rogers (standing) and Valerie Jarrett (sitting)
POEM
Sista7: The Obama Women
Copyright 2009 by Madelyn C. Leeke
When I checked my email this morning, I had a message from my father, a 24/7/365 supporter of President Barack H. Obama.
Daddy’s email greeted me with positive news.
It was a Washington Post article about the brilliant, bold, and beautiful Black women in the Obama administration.
What a way to start a Wednesday in March during Women’s History Month!
The article profiled the Sista7.
Valerie Jarrett, a Senior Advisor and Assistant to the President for Intergovernmental Affairs and Public Liaison.
Desiree Rogers, White House Social Secretary.
Susan Rice, United Nations Ambassador.
Cassandra Butts, deputy White House counsel.
Mona Sutphen, the first Black woman to serve as deputy chief of staff.
Lisa Jackson, the first Black person to head the Environmental Protection Agency.
Melody Barnes, the first Black woman to run the Domestic Policy Council.
They represent something new in Washington: the largest contingent of high-ranking Black women to work for a president.
Trailblazers is the word that captures it all for me.
These phenomenal women have emerged from the margins of American society to the position of gatekeeper in one of the greatest countries in the world.
Each one is a household name in my life.
Tracking their efforts on the Internet is one of my favorite things to do.
Watching them in action inspires me.
They have become an affirmation of what’s possible for Black women in America.
That’s why I claim them as my sheros.
That’s why I continuously celebrate their presence, passion, and power.
May we all do the same.
Ananda Leeke 
I agree. This arrangement is beautiful. Not because it’s all black women, but because it’s beautiful black, well educated, purpose driven women. Obama did his thing. I have a poem similar to this one, but it’s in regards to Mrs. Michelle Obama. Keep doing your thing Ms Leeke.