Meeting Albright
Not to brag, but I’ve been around my fair share of celebrities. Musicians, actors, fashion icons, past presidents and those vying for the top job — as a reporter, you get to meet all kinds of people. But never have I been more starstruck than when I met Madeleine Albright. I was in awe. I truly believe I was standing in the presence of greatness.
It was September of 2012, and she lectured on leadership, global markets, and women in the workplace at Georgia Southern University in Statesboro, Georgia. Luckily, I got the assignment to cover the event. While I knew who she was, I did some extra research so I wouldn’t look like a total idiot when I got there.
In 1997, Madeleine Albright made history when she became the first female Secretary of State, but she was a part of world events long before she was unanimously voted into the position. When she was just a toddler, her family fled from Czechoslovakia when the country was invaded by the Nazis at the beginning of World War II, and three of her grandparents died in concentration camps during the Holocaust.
Once her family made it to America, her father, Josef Korbel became a journalist and diplomat — Madeleine would later follow in his footsteps as an author and champion of global human rights, democracy, and female empowerment during her time as the United States Ambassador to the UN from 1993-1997.
“I had succeeded and would continue to thrive personally and professionally because of the groundwork she, and so many others like her, had laid.”
At the time I met her, my world was very small, and there was no way I could fathom how far Madeleine Albright had come. She had spent her life fighting against the discrimination and suppression she and her family had been subject to in their home country. I remember feeling like she was also fighting for me, no matter how insignificant my issues seemed in comparison. I had succeeded and would continue to thrive personally and professionally because of the groundwork she, and so many others like her, had laid.
While she was the Ambassador for the UN, she would often say, “There is a special place in Hell for women who don’t help each other.” When I first came upon the phrase while doing my research in 2012, I took her words about women helping women to heart, and over the years I’ve seen where it’s been put to practice and times where we can definitely do better. It’s a good reminder that there is enough room for all of us at the top — and that if we won’t help each other, who will?
In 2016, Albright would use this quote at a presidential campaign rally for Hilary Clinton, but it was out of context and unfortunately fell flat. She later explained her intentions in a New York Times Op-Ed, and the quote is now widely used as a battle cry for women of all ages and backgrounds.
I do not remember the questions I asked during her pre-speech media Q&A, or how she answered, but I remember thinking that she was everything I hoped she’d be. I still feel the regret of not getting a photo with the woman who had such an impact on me — so unexpectedly.
