62 - District of Columbia, Noor Al-Hussein

Washington D.C. may not have official statehood, nor do they have representation in Congress or the Senate, but they are a wealth of revolutionary women with stories to tell. Noor Al-Hussein, Queen Dowager of Jordan, has two degrees of separation from me! Can you believe it! If I met her, I could say, "Do you remember Jon Pettit?" She may say no. But I could ask. 

Washington D.C. is not a state, but the actions of the country in this year during our quarantine has moved the needle more than ever before. Per Wikipedia, "On June 26, 2020, the House of Representatives passed the D.C. Statehood Act 232–180 largely along party lines; ... It is not expected to pass the Republican-controlled Senate. It was the first time statehood was ever approved by either chamber." Maybe we will be entering a time when we have a union of 51 states. After we talk again next week, maybe we can convince the Country to be 52.


Born Lisa Najeeb Halaby, her father was an aide to the US Secretary of Defense in the Truman Administration and Head of the Federal Aviation Administration, appointed by John F. Kennedy. He was also the CEO of Pan American World Airways. Her great-grandfather was a Syrian immigrant to the US in 1891 where they began to assimilate into American culture.

She was an architecture and urban planning student (with my former boss Jon Pettit for those fortunate to know him) at Princeton University in 1974. She moved to Australia, then to Britain. She worked on a project to design a model capital city in Tehran, Iran, relocating to the UK. The turmoil of the Middle East gave her the desire to join Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism to travel to Amman. 

She met the King of Jordan and became friends while he mourned the death of his first wife. Shortly after, they became engaged in 1978, and she became the Queen of Jordan on June 15, 1978. She accepted his Sunni Islamic religion and changed to her royal name, Noor Al-Hussein, which means Light of Hussein. Many believed her  American heritage would cause concern to the people of Jordan, but her Syrian heritage she was considered an Arab returning home. Her education in urban planning provided her role for charitable work and improvement to the economy. Women became more empowered during her reign. She works on a domestic and international agenda in line with King Hussein Foundation. The king died on February 7, 1999, and she is the Queen Dowager.

Why this woman?
My former boss, Jon Pettit, did not dote or brag about going to school with Noor Al-Hussein, but I have always remembered that he shared his friendship with her. It is a pretty amazing thing to have a friend you share your normal experiences of life with, to then see them elevated to royalty! It is like the Princess Diaries but for real! 

As I had the time to research her more, it is so great to see the value of her architectural and urban planning degree taking such a significant and revolutionary path. In her role combined with her intelligence and educational background, she was able to implement design opportunities for cities to modernize and be more than what was provided for them. She had seen the culture through her family and brought new ideas to the communities that were well received and respected, by a woman in a culture that does not facilitate women in leadership in the way she was raised.

This is an inspiring story to me of eloquence, intelligence, and cultural respect for the people and traditions to bring innovations and change. She could have taken responsibilities available to her and been content. And I do not see her life being one of rebellion in Jordan. Instead, she was the voice of the future, peace, advancement, and advocacy that people could trust and build upon. Beauty.
Location: Washington, DC, USA

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