Word Up welcomes Jaha Marie Dukureh to celebrate her new memoir I Will Scream to the World: My Story. My Fight. My Hope for Girls Everywhere. This extraordinary memoir details the monumental journey of one young Gambian woman from survivor of FGM and forced child marriage, to global activist and political leader who became UN Women’s first Goodwill Ambassador for Africa, one of Time Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People, and among the youngest people nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize. In conversation with Dukureh will be reporter Melissa Mahtani.

This event is a $5 suggested donation ticket with 50 max attendees. Please register in advance. 

In compliance with Word Up Community Safety guidelines, all attendees are encouraged to stay masked at all time.

Recirculation, a project of Word Up Community Bookshop, is located at 876 Riverside Drive (near 160th St.) in Washington Heights, NYC. You can take the 1 train to 157th St., A/C train to 163rd St., and the M4 and M5 to Broadway and 159/160th.

ABOUT THE BOOK

On the wedding night of her first arranged marriage, fifteen-year-old Jaha learned that she had undergone Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) as an infant. That painful discovery, coupled with her experiences with a second arranged marriage, set Jaha on her path as an activist—a courageous mission that would require her to brave hostility in her community and family, and even attempts on her life.

Despite the challenges, and with ever-growing determination, Jaha founded Safe Hands for Girls, an organization that succeeded in having FGM banned in Gambia. She is now working to eradicate FGM and forced child marriage worldwide by 2030 and running to be the next President of The Gambia.

I Will Scream to the World! recounts Jaha’s ongoing, uphill journey to be seen as a survivor, activist, but most of all as a human. She dives into her childhood to show the root causes of her crusading, shares her personal and professional life, and explores, as only a survivor can, a practice that while violent and troubling, is often culturally misunderstood.

Above all, Jaha’s unflinchingly honest memoir is a story of resilience and extraordinary fearlessness, of the strength that comes with learning to love oneself, and of the power within everyone to create meaningful and lasting change.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Jaha Marie Dukureh is a Gambian American women’s rights activist, survivor of FGM and forced child marriage, Regional UN Women Goodwill Ambassador for Africa, and one of the youngest Africans ever to be nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize. She is the founder of Safe Hands for Girls, an organization dedicated to providing support to African women and girls who have survived Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), and was the lead campaigner in The Guardian’s End FGM Guardian Global Media Campaign. Her work contributed directly to the Gambian Government’s 2015 ban on FGM, and she is currently building the African-led network The Big Sisters Movement with the mission to end FGM and child marriage by 2030. Named to the TIME 100 list of the most influential people in the world, Ms. Dukureh has been awarded the Eleanor Roosevelt Medal of Honor, honored as the Human Rights Activist Humanitarian of the Year at the seventh annual African Diaspora Awards, recognized as one of the top 100 gender global policy influencers by Apolitical, and named one of the top 10 Africa Changemakers by YouthHubAfrica. She currently lives outside New York City and can be found online at Jaha365.com.

ABOUT THE MODERATOR

Melissa Mahtani is an Emmy-nominated executive producer of CBS News. She joined in April 2024 with nearly two decades of experience, including international reporting, producing content for multiple platforms and innovating storytelling. She most recently served as a senior producer and reporter for CNN.