“King Peggy: A Woman Leader.

It is four o’clock in the morning. The city is Washington, DC in the United States.
Almost everyone in the city is sleeping. The government buildings along the streets
are quiet and empty. Few cars are on the roads. And the city is dark. In a home
near the middle of the city, a telephone rings. A woman answers. The woman’s
name is Peggeliene Bartels.

The man calling Bartels is a family member.  He is from her family’s village of
Otuam - in the country of Ghana. He is calling with some strange news. This
telephone call will change Bartels’ life forever.

The man explains that the village of Otuam needs a new king. And he tells Bartels
that local officials have chosen her. Bartels cannot believe it.  She is tired.  And she
thinks it is a joke.  But it is not.

Peggeliene Bartels was born in 1953, in Takoradi, Ghana. As a young adult, she
studied in England. When she finished university, she moved to the United States.
Bartels began working at the Embassy of Ghana in Washington DC. There, she is
a secretary.  She answers telephones.  She types documents and e-mails. And
she serves Embassy officials and visitors.  Bartels enjoys her job.  She has worked
at the Embassy for more than 30 years. And in 1997, Bartels became a United
States citizen.

While Bartels lived and worked in Washington, DC, her uncle was king of Otuam.  
Her mother’s brother ruled the village for many years.  But in 2008, the king died.
And leaders in the village had to choose a new king.  The leaders suggested
names of people that might replace the king.  One person suggested Bartels.  This
was an unusual suggestion.  Past kings had all been men.

The village leaders performed a ritual to choose the new leader. This religious
tradition involved pouring liquid on the ground and then saying the name of each
possible king.  If the liquid quickly evaporated after one of the names, the leaders
would choose that person to be king.  The ritual confirmed that Bartels should be
king. The village leaders were not sure about choosing a woman to be king.  So,
they performed the ritual three times to be sure. Finally, the leaders agreed.   They
would offer the king’s position to Bartels.

When Bartels’ family member called, he told her that her uncle had always wanted
her to be the next king.  Bartels never knew that.  And she was not sure if she
should accept this new job. She had a job in the United States.  And as king she
would be responsible for Otuam’s 7000 villagers.  Bartels thought about the offer
for many days.  Soon, she felt like God was telling her to take it. She told the news
organization NPR:
 “When they told me, I was a little afraid to accept it. It comes with responsibilities.
And I have a job as a secretary in the United States! I have my own responsibilities
and bills to pay! And to become king, you have to be really rich. But then, it was
like someone was talking to me. A voice said, ‘Accept it. This is what you are
supposed to do. You will have help so you can help your people.’”

So Peggy Bartels accepted the job of king. People usually only use the term “king”
for male leaders. “Queen” is the word for female rulers. But Bartels did not want
her people to call her “Queen Peggy.” She wanted them to call her “king”. She told
the news organization, CNN:

“Most of the time, a king is the one who has all the power to do things. The queen
has power over children’s issues. And the queen reports to the king.”

Bartels knew that the term “king” would communicate power.  So having this title
was important for her.  When Bartels told the men she wanted to be called king,
they were surprised. She told NPR:

“When I said this, all the men stood up. They said, ‘A woman is speaking like this?’
And I said, ‘Yes, I am serious. Treat me like a man because I am a man…Do not
look at me as a woman. If you understand me as a man, then we can move
forward. But if you think I am a woman, we are not going to be able to work
together.’”

Today, the people of her village respect King Peggy. And she is beginning to
change minds. She told NPR:

“They are beginning to accept me for who I am. The women are trying to
understand me. They see that as a woman, you can do a lot. You do not have to sit
down and wait for a man to succeed in life. If I am a woman and I am doing this,
they can also do it.”

King Peggy has worked hard to improve the lives of people in her village. Since
becoming king, she has raised money for the village. This money has helped send
children to school. It has helped buy computers for the school classrooms. The
village now even has an emergency vehicle!

King Peggy still lives in the United States. And she still works as a secretary at the
Embassy. But she remains connected to her people. She visits Ghana for one
month each year. And every day at 1:00 in the morning, she calls her
representative in Otuam. This family member tells her everything that is happening
in the village.  And he tells the villagers what she says.  King Peggy hopes to move
back to Otuam when she retires from her job at the Embassy.

King Peggy did not expect to become King of Otuam.  But now, she believes it is
her calling.  She has faith that God meant for her to be king. And she believes God
gives her strength to lead her people. She told CNN:
 “I recognize that we all have a calling.  We have to be ready to accept it.  Helping
my people has really helped me.  I know that I can really touch and change their
lives.  I would have really regretted not accepting this calling.”