ABSTRACT
In the early 1970s Wangari Maathai became directly acquainted with the emerging movements for environmental protection and women's equality that were propelled by two seminal United Nations conferences: on the human environment and on women. Through the Centre, Maathai began exchanging ideas and forming friendships with environmentalists from the US, Europe, and Asia. Maathai had witnessed changes in the environment when she'd visited her family and conducted academic fieldwork. Maathai sought to extend the impact of the women's efforts, and of Green Belt Movement (GBM) itself, through ongoing mobilization. In 1989, Maathai embarked on her first high-profile environmental campaign, which catapulted her onto the government's enemies list, as well as the global stage. In 1992, Maathai was assaulted and hospitalized when police violently broke up protests by the mothers of young men whom the government had imprisoned and tortured for political activity.
