Billal Sliman ’29
EE Staff Writer
Scientific exploration has been the long-term passion of Jane Goodall, and the story that made headlines all over the world was that of her 1960s observational research in Africa on the tool-making behavior of chimpanzees. Chimpanzees amazed the world after Jane’s observations, as well as others that followed. Chimpanzees were making use of tools; a feat that eventually touched not only the whole animal kingdom but, as a corollary, mankind as well.
One should not remember Jane Goodall solely as a scientist. She would also battle for and stand by the environmental movement and youth empowerment of her time to support future leaders. By the founding of the Jane Goodall Institute in 1977, and later the worldwide program Roots & Shoots, Jane was able to bring environmental and humanitarian issues to the attention of children and youth, engaging them in the activities related to both.
Old as she was, Jane still did not stop her valiant fight for the Earth’s and animals’ rights. Her message couldn’t be more straightforward: “What you do still matters a lot, and it is up to you to decide what kind of difference you want to create”.
Jane Goodall’s legacy can be continued through our commitment to small environmentally friendly actions, always being kind to animals, and having faith that humanity can be reduced to one person – just like Jane Goodall.
“What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make”.
It is possible to keep her memory alive by each one of us taking care of the planet in small ways, regularly being kind to animals, and believing that the human race can be one person – just like Jane Goodall.
Photo courtesy: Nicolas Richoffer, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons