How Solving For Peace Came To Be

When I moved to Nigeria at 10 years old, my grandfather introduced me to activism in a way I hadn't experienced before. As a young man he had participated in his fair share of protests and boycotts, and was even thrown in jail by-the British for his role in demonstrations demanding independence, but when I met him at 75, he was practicing a gentler form of activism through his column for a Nigerian newspaper. His father, my Mothers grandfather, had written the first novel written in Igbo language giving voice to Igbo stories and perspectives, and my grandfather continued with that legacy by weighing into politics, challenging corruption and calling for earnest development for the benefit of Nigerian citizens. The American in me, the part of me that stood for hope, justice and freedom for all, decided to take up this charge from my grandfather, and inspired by him, I pursued a bachelors in Journalism. Sadly he died before I graduated college, and I ended up with even more questions than I had seen my grandfather attempt to reconcile in his column. It wasn't lost on me that journalism focused on highlighting the problem and in some cases even proffering solutions, but the problems still seemed to remain, unchanged or even worse. After some years working in non profit communication, political communication and even adolescent communication, I decided to go to grad school with the intention of possibly becoming part of the solution to the issues journalism covers. At the end of my first semester of my Masters in Public Policy Program at Pepperdine University, we were asked to choose concentrations. As the American Nigerian I was, I leaned towards International relations and National security, but also, dispute resolution piqued my curiosity. An amazing advisor let it be known that since it was public policy to expand dispute resolution, I had the option of obtaining a second masters in dispute resolution. I jumped at the opportunity and it changed my life in so many ways. The study of dispute resolution felt like the next stage in my communication at journalism education as the overlap was undeniable. A traumatic life event caused me to pause my corporate career trajectory to reflect on how my current work in America continued the activism my grandfather had inspired me with. Returning to work, I started caring for elderly dementia patients and was constantly praised for the superior level of patience I demonstrated, a patience I do not believe I had prior to my study of dispute resolution. I started to realize, I had been applying meditation skills such as active listening, reframing and even empathy, I had brought a certain level of peace to the people I cared for and their families. Solving for peace was born out of my desire to continue the quiet activism I saw my grandfather start and introduce more people to peace by sharing, as a journalist does, the amazing story of the world of conflict resolution. I thought I had hung up my journalism pen because I haven't been able to settle on a beat that truly resonated with me, until now. The journalistic beat I have committed to cover is peace, the practice of peace and dispute resolution. The vision was slow to properly develop,until my grandmother's recent passing. I reflected on her life, her storytelling skills that she likely passed to me and how she was a fearless, bold, strong African woman that wasn't afraid of standing for what was right, even if it was unpopular. Her nickname in Igbo translates to one who has decided to live their life in peace, and one of my given names translates as the bringer of peace. Solving for peace is both a mission driven organization and storytelling medium, dedicated to courageously following in my grandparents footsteps. inspired by everything my grandparents stood for. Solving for peace is the confluence of my passion to advocate for a more peaceful world. My curiosity about the human experience balances the reality of a means of creating a livelihood for me and my family. I took the adage "find work doing work you love and you will never work a day in your life!” I love to write, I love to share about conflict resolution and restore hope to humanity that peace is possible, maybe not in my lifetime, but by building the formation now, peace is possible for my own grandchildren.