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April 29, 2004

Activist promoting Congress of Black Women Leaders

Yawu Miller

While attending the Sorbonne, Martinique native Sandrah Monthieux Pélage happened upon a copy of In Praise of Black Women, a four-volume tribute to the history of African women and women in the African diaspora compiled by Simone Schwarz Bart.

Pélage convinced the bookseller to allow her to purchase the expensive set one book at a time, as she squirreled away her francs. While her studies were in business and marketing, Pélage was intrigued with the books, which revealed a history too often overlooked by white male historians.

After graduating in 1989, Pélage took a job as a Sales Director for Fashion Fair Cosmetics and landed in London. Years passed before she was able buy the rights to the series, have it translated into English and find a publishing house to carry the books, which were originally printed in French.

But she managed to do just that, turning to the University of Wisconsin Press to print the first volume 2001.

Now, as she tours the United States to generate publicity for the books, she is promoting another cause: the first-ever Global Congress of Black Women Leaders — an event being planned by a coalition of black women in Europe.

The congress is expected to bring women from all over Africa and the African diaspora to Paris. Last Saturday, Pélage visited Roxbury’s Museum of the National Center for Afro-American Artists for a meeting sponsored by the Middlesex County chapter of the Links, a black women’s organization

“Traditionally black women have gathered, but never as leaders,” Pélage said during a Banner interview. “It’s usually been around social issues, not around our value as leaders. We are at a time when there are a lot of powerful black women. We need to harness that.”

Attending the meeting, scheduled for July 1 and 2, will be parliamentary reps, business leaders, journalists and activists from all over the diaspora. The congress is being organized by the European Federation of Black Women Business Owners and other European organizations as well as the cities of Paris and Houston Tx, where Pélage lives with her husband and two children.

The Congress will take place at the headquarters of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, a venue that will give the event the imprimatur of the international organization.

While the inaugural congress is being held in Paris, Pélage says next year’s congress may take place in Houston. Black women in the United States need to understand the power they have on the international scene, Pélage says.

“We don’t understand our power globally as well as we should,” she commented.

Last week’s reception brought prominent women from throughout the Greater Boston area to the museum, where an exhibit of South African artists is currently showing.

For more information on the congress, visit the organization’s web site: www.globalcongressofblackwomenleaders.org.

 

 

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