LRMC Women's History Month
"Women's Art; Women's Vision"
Landstuhl, March 20, 2008
Mrs. Sue Timken
Thank you very much for inviting me to take part in your annual celebration of Women's History Month. I have been a volunteer at the Landstuhl Regional Medical Center for over 2 years. Thank you very much for the invitation to visit in a different way.
During Women's History Month, we celebrate the achievements of the strong women who have shaped the history of our country. As we honor the extraordinary women of our Nation's past, we also recognize the countless women who today are demonstrating leadership in every aspect of American life.
This year the organizers of Women’s History Month are recognizing the achievements of women in the arts but I could not come to Landstuhl on this occasion and not speak about the many strong women in the military whom I have had the privilege of meeting here.
You are my heroes.
I would like to take this opportunity to honor the women of the United States military who serve our country with honor and distinction here and across the world.
As we work to advance freedom and peace, American women in uniform are serving at home and across the world. Every day, they take great risks to make our Nation more secure. The war on terrorism poses new challenges. The military needs to be more successful than ever before. The effort against fundamentalist terrorists is the great issue of our time. The future of American generations is being determined. I can think of no greater commitment to be made, or achievement to attain by the women of America.
You can see women at work every day at Landstuhl in this great cause. I marvel at the care provided to our service men and women.
I would like to also honor the women of Landstuhl who serve as mothers, daughters, and sisters. You make significant sacrifices for freedom's cause. You are an integral part of the success of our Armed Forces. I know that many of you have set aside your own personal and professional ambitions for the benefit of your family and our country.
Every day, as you face the daily challenges of military life that include deployments, family separations, and frequent moves, you make sacrifices in support of our country. This kind of life makes it hard to lay down roots. You inspire me with your sense of duty and deep devotion to our country. This community depends on your energy and your leadership.
When President Bush asked my husband to serve as Ambassador, Tim and I talked a lot about what it would mean to our lives; for example, being away from our family for such a long time. Like military families, in the foreign and diplomatic service, that's part of what you sign up for. My husband and both felt that we wanted to give something back for the wonderful life that we live in America. I realize, of course, that military families are required to make far more sacrifices than what is required from an Ambassador.
Today, I would like to talk with you about the life of an Ambassador -- and an Ambassador's spouse. As the President's "man on the ground," my husband's main job is to build on and improve the bilateral relationship between the United States and Germany. But foreign relations are not just a matter for governments. The ties that bind Americans and Europeans are not just connections based on political and economic interests; they are also ties that connect us in the most personal way. Diplomacy is about communication. For this reason, we have made an effort to meet people from all levels of German society and all walks of life.
You in the military are playing a major role in the war against terrorism but at another level, part of the challenge is to combat violent Islamic extremism.
Surveys of immigrants in Europe reveal they do not feel welcome, and that in fact many feel they are not European.
For that reason, I personally have made a special effort to meet and get to know women in Muslim communities around Germany. I have talked with them about their vision of who they are, their goals and aspirations for their families. I have had very frank conversations with these new friends about challenges that all of us face in our lives -- and how we can help these challenges become opportunities, or at least find solutions to move beyond our problems.
We all know that America is by no means perfect. We are learning, we are still finding our own balances. However, for most Muslim youth in America, they are able to find an identity balance that works for them. They are Americans first. They look to the history of the Irish or the Italians or the Chinese immigrants to see how balance between cultural roots, religion and America made sense for them. There is plenty of "room" in American society to accommodate them. Europe must find a way to help young people on these kinds of voyages of discovery.
Over the years, many of the artists who were selected as special honorees as part of this year’s National Women's History Month have been showcased by German galleries and museums. It is an indication of the depth of the German-American partnership that these and other women American artists are well represented on the art scene here. But most of the Muslim families I have met do not visit German museums and galleries to get to know American -- or German art, for that matter. They never leave their community. That's where we must work.
Traveling around Germany, I can’t tell you how often Tim and I have heard how exchange experiences can change perspectives – and lives. The problem is, however, that there are not many Muslim participants in the range of German-American exchange opportunities. And so, we started talking and implementing concrete ideas for new exchange programs and collaborative local art projects.
In the fall of 2006, I met Todd Fletcher, an American musician and director based in Berlin. I took him to visit an after-school center for young Muslim women. By the end of several days, the girls had learned a number of English-language songs by heart although all of them swore that they could not speak a word of English. They loved the experience.
Todd then took that concept one step farther. Working with students at the Ernst-Schering-High School in Wedding, an immigrant neighborhood in Berlin, he produced an English-language musical. Approximately 80% of the students at the Schering School are of non-German heritage. Their families come from 27 different countries. The musical they created and staged with Todd's help is about their lives.
Through this project, over 60 young women – and men – discovered new talents in themselves. They were encouraged to express themselves, feel a sense of pride, and enrich their communities. They were exposed to new ideas about future opportunities and personal potential. They developed their creativity, but also their tolerance, work skills, and a sense of responsibility through the arts. They learned how to express themselves, how to disagree and then find consensus, and how to work in a team. The project set free unexpected talents in the participants.
German Federal President Horst Koehler and Interior Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble and their wives attended the premiere last June. With the assistance of the German government, the musical has traveled to Cologne, Frankfurt and Nuernberg this month -- in the hope of encouraging similar projects elsewhere.
Somebody once said that, "Vision is the art of seeing things invisible." In the same way, social change lurks among us largely invisible before it becomes apparent. It starts in people's hearts and grows with the awareness that we can do more. It is based on common values. Here in Landstuhl, your shared vision is so strong that you can almost see and touch it.
To me, that is the larger message of the theme of this year's celebration of National Women's History Month. Vision and values can be linked to art. The title of the lead song in our musical "The Streets of Wedding" is "Could this be my chance, my chance to show the world what I am capable of, to finally show the world what I am not?" What better message for women to celebrate National Women's History Month?
