Women
power did not just begin. Unnoticeably it’s been around for centuries. It isn’t
about celebrity or popularity; it’s about influence. My late Mom, Esther
Wah-Wede Bedell, affectionately known as “Ma Wede” and “O Lord,” is perhaps the
most listened-to woman in Harper City during her lifetime. She reared good
number of kids who have become respected individuals in Liberia and the world.
Many are successful in their own rights.
In
some cases to figure out a woman’s contribution, analysis looked for those who
run countries, big companies or influential nonprofits. Their rankings are a
combination of two scores: visibility and the size of the organization or
country they lead. My late Mom, Ma Wede, did not lead a country. But she
groomed young men and women who have joined leadership in very important parts
of the world including Liberia.
Ma
Wede was born December 20, 1929 to Episcopalian parents. At age 20 she
experienced a serious biological problem that affected her womanhood.
Consequently, she could no longer bear kids. Intrigued by her surrounding
evidential circumstances to her life and Church, she gave her life and heart to
Jesus Christ and accepted her condition. In early youth she exhibited traces of
exquisite sensibility, soundness of understanding, and decision of character.
She received no literary instructions.
Before
her nineteenth year she became acquainted with Mr. Ngee (my spelling) Wilson, a
mechanical engineer, who would be her husband in later years. Mr. Wilson
possessed good taste and good engineering knowledge. He seemed to have given
her the first impulse to the formation of her character. At nineteenth, she
left her parents and resided with her brother J. Wah-Doe Bedell who had just
entered Cape Palmas High School in Harper City. She was there to help her
brother with his domestic chores. At graduation, her brother moved to Monrovia
to pursue further studies. She took on her own roof and gave attention to her
mother who was growing older. Her mother’s health made her presence necessary
in her home. On the death of her mother, Ma Wede took on more responsibilities
for her young sibling (Julia Wah-Kuno Bedell) and sometimes the older ones.
Ma
Wede became a teacher from motives of benevolence, or rather philanthropy, and
during the time she continued, she gave proof of superior qualification for the
performance of its arduous and important duties. The pecuniary concerns of her
father early death made her practiced rigid economy in her expenditures, and
with her savings was enabled to procure her sisters and brothers situations, to
which without aid, they could not have had access; her mother was sustained at
length from her fund. She even found means to take under her protection other
people’s children in dire need of academic education and social skills to
maximize their full human potential through training and guidance.
Ma
Wede was a true philanthropist and humanist.
She
invested her time and resources in grooming kids of other parents. Besides
those we may not remember, she reared Mrs. Elizabeth Bedell Woart, Messrs.
Toh-Himmie (brother of Liberia’s football legend, WanniboToe – the wizard
dribbler of the national Lone Star of Liberia), Henry Wah-Toe Bedell (her
eldest brother’s son named in the stead of one of her brothers), S. K. Bedell,
II (named in the stead of her eldest brother Gen. S. K. Bedell), Sarah Wilson,
Mary Dwedeh Bedell, Gbuo, Boryornor and little Kidau who is the youngest of
them all. Among all of those she reared, Mr. Thomas G. Bedell is her only
adopted son. At age 5, she adopted him from her late brother Gen. S. K. Bedell,
Snr.
Ma
Wede had not wanted confidence in her own powers of persuasion before. But the
reception this work met from the public, gave her an opportunity of judging
what those powers were, in the estimation of others. It was shortly after this,
that she commenced the work to which these remarks are prefixed. What are its
merits will be decided in the judgment of each person and/or reader of this
document. Suffice it to say, she appeared to have stepped forth boldly, and
singly, in defense of humanity, which by usages of all society, whether savage
or civilized, have been kept from attaining their dignity.
She
was blessed with six siblings. Besides J. Wah-Doe Bedell, all other siblings
predeceased her including, Gen. S. Wah-Kwee Bedell, Snr., H. Wah-Toe Bedell,
Snr., Helena Wahde Bedell Neufville, H. Wah-Gleh Bedell, and Julia Wah-Kuno
Bedell.
1958
she was founder of the Harper Women Recreation Organization. She almost became
involved directly into politics as she was being encouraged by her colleagues
to seek political office. 1960 Cofounder, Kudemoweh Women Association in
Harper. She chaired it up to 1963.
Honors:
she was honored by the late Superintendent of Maryland County, Hon. James
Daniel Anderson as the Most Outstanding woman of the Year.
Ma
Wede departed this world on November 1, 2009. She was born on December 20, 1928
in Harper, Maryland County, Republic of Liberia
BY:
T. Gbuo-Mle Bedell
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