Things really exploded after the Rhythm and Praise show. National newspapers wanted to interview me with Tenneh, as did morning chat shows, both radio and television. Tenneh’s story, and her forgiveness of the aggressors was a media magnet, but Athletes Against Exploitation was not overlooked. Kate and I researched the numbers on trafficked people, hoping to really hit home with the youth of the exploited and the high volume in trafficking.
The newspapers led with Tenneh, pulling me in after her brutal story was told. I found that Kate and I didn’t need to do so much research, as the journalists already had. I spoke instead about the campaign, and what moved me to do it. The newspapers already had their reports from our press conferences, but speaking with Tenneh and then me, they used a “women’s interest” angle, moving us from news to features. Our interviews were put into weekend magazines with television guides, which meant more coverage, as people would be seeing the magazine the whole week, not just on Saturday or Sunday.
I asked Tenneh if she was okay with telling her story over and over again. She hadn’t told of her background before, and now that was all anyone knew about her.
“They know more than that!” she insisted. “They know I believe in God, who gives me the strength to forgive and carry on! I am not some rape victim…I am someone who survived some horrible things through Grace. I want to be an inspiration of hope for trafficked women – I want to show there is life on the other side of their ordeal!”
“You are amazing,” I told her, and the newspaper photographer snapped a picture of us holding hands, which was later used as the cover for the weekend magazine.
“God is amazing,” Tenneh corrected me, which became the lead-in line for the article.
Tenneh surprisingly was a bit camera-shy when we did the morning TV shows. Relaxed as she was on radio, she stiffened when having to have people look at her while she told her story. I held her hand the whole time, which was clammy and shaky. “God is amazing,” I kept reminding her between takes.
“He is, but I need a make-up person who knows what to do with African hair!” Tenneh hissed back. For a moment, I thought she was serious, but she gave me her million-watt smile. She had her hair pulled into a turban of African cloth and looked fabulous.
Eileen McGrath-Roth couldn’t be happier. She announced she was creating a whole new “pro bono” department to the firm, which would handle special charitable projects. I and Sheila would be the campaign managers in the department. I was surprised that I would still be working with Sheila, but then, she was very good in getting sponsors.
“Lisa, you’re the heart of our work for good, but Sheila is the one who gets people to pay for it,” Eileen said to me in private, after she had made the announcement of the new department. “I really see this as an opportunity for our firm to carve itself a niche. Any good PR firm can have good connections and a strong network, but actually doing good will differentiate us. A lot of companies are jumping on the charity bandwagon, giving employees time off to volunteer. All we need to do is synch up with them, and ride this wave of doing good!”
My expression must have turned sceptical, because Eileen gave me her barracuda grin. “Don’t look so downcast,” she told me. “Good things will be done!” There was red lipstick on her teeth again.
Back at my desk, I texted Kate. Is it still a good work if done from the wrong motivation? She texted back a question mark, and told me to call her in half an hour, when she had a free period. I watched the clock anxiously until I could call her.
“I got a promotion and am getting my own department to work in,” I told Kate breathlessly. “I’m here to be the face of good deeds here, to promote the firm as the only PR agency that does good works.”
“That’s fantastic!” Kate exclaimed.
“Is it? I’m only here to cash in on the current wave of charity. As soon as that’s no longer in vogue, it’s back to promoting clients who have the money to pay for it.”
“Charity never goes out of style,” Kate argued. “It may be hard in tough economic times to find funding, but we’re always aware of how we need to help our fellow man.”
I laughed. “Help our fellow man?” I echoed. “Do you not know what Athletes Against Exploitation is about?”
Kate refused to rise to my negativity. “As long as there is evil in the world, there is the need for good to fight it,” she said firmly.
“But what if the good isn’t motivated by good?” I asked.
“Oh, Lisa, I wish I had your problems,” Kate sighed. “We’re having funding problems, and you’re whinging about your promotion. Maybe thinking of George Bernard Shaw will help you. The only reason he accepted the Nobel Prize in Literature was so he could give the prize money to charity. He said it doesn’t matter where the money comes from, as long as it ends up doing good.”
I wasn’t sure if that helped me, so I focused on what Kate had said before that. “Funding problems?” I asked. “What do you need?”
“Science equipment. Our labs are too old to handle advanced lessons. Some parents are moving their daughters to more modern, better equipped schools.” She paused, and lowered her voice. “If we were a boys’ school, we’d have the rugby alumni to lean on for donations.”
That lament was always an undercurrent to any conversation Kate had about her school – the funding gap between girls and boys schools. I had just read an article about how there was a lack of female science graduates…from what Kate was saying, the problem could start earlier than university. I suddenly envisioned my next campaign after Athletes Against Exploitation.
“Leave it with me,” I said to Kate.
Kate heard the excitement in my voice. “Suddenly someone’s not down about her new job anymore!”
I went straight to Sheila after ending the call with Kate, where I outlined my idea about promoting maths and sciences education for girls. She didn’t get interested until I mentioned the article I had read about the gender gap. Within seconds, she was on the internet to find it, and then she was researching cosmetics companies.
“I don’t get it,” I admitted as I watched her scrawl down some notes.
Sheila didn’t look up. She was making notes with one hand as she went through Cosmetic company websites with the other. “Think about it…think stereotypes. Cosmetics are for women, but cosmetics are based on science.”
I thought she was reaching. “How does maths figure into that picture?” I asked.
“It’s a big business! Getting women to look good involves a lot of maths and chemistry!”
“The article says we need more women in technology. Does cosmetics involve computers and programming?”
Sheila sighed, putting her pen down. “Okay, I don’t know how to work that in. But cosmetics companies sponsor a lot of good things, and I can see them helping education in a big way.” She gave me a tentative smile. “It’s a start. Eileen says we can pick out a team to work with, do some brainstorming and plan some events. Get Jimmy and Theresa in here…we worked well last time!”
I thought about that. “We did, didn’t we?”
“Lisa, this is another good campaign idea. It’s not as heart-breaking or depressing as anti-trafficking, but it’s just as important.” She looked up at me. “I don’t suppose this came from the Church prayer diary?”
I shook my head. “No, my good friend is a teacher, and she was complaining to me about the lack of funds for a decent science lab in her school.”
Sheila smiled. “You seem to run in the right circles for these pro-bono ideas!”
I frowned. No I didn’t. Need was all around us; you just had to pay attention.
“I don’t know if you’ll get to go on TV again with this new campaign, but you were good. That African girl was amazing!”
“Tenneh,” I supplied. “You know, they offered her a regular spot on TV3’s morning show?” She had just called me that morning to tell me. She told me the first thing she needed to get sorted was finding a stylist who could fix her hair properly, as she didn’t intend to appear in a turban for every show.
“Wow, are you jealous? You were pretty good too,” Sheila told me.
I didn’t like all those lights shining on me and having to look for which camera to look into all the time. “Tenneh was pretty nervous, but she did a good job. I’m really pleased for her.” Especially after she told me the Christian Soul job was an unpaid one – she earned her money being a part-time manager in a restaurant. Now she could afford to concentrate on being a broadcaster.
“I’ll talk to Jimmy and Theresa,” I said, thinking of the new campaign. “Maybe we can get Tenneh to talk it up on TV,” I suggested. She would be a strong advocate for the education of girls.
“Excellent!” Sheila cried. “This is taking off already!”
“We’ll need a snazzy name like the one you thought up for Athletes Against Exploitation,” I pointed out.
“Rome wasn’t built in a day,” Sheila complained. “At least give me until after lunch.”
“I’ll give you lunch,” I said to Sheila. I booked a table for four at the nearby Mexican café. We’d meet with Jimmy and Theresa, and hopefully they’d be on board with working in the new department. If they said yes, this would be a working lunch!