About Me — Reed aka Samuel Reed, III

Returning to Botswana- Celebrating My Epic Failure

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I am humbled to celebrate my return to Botswana. Botswana is not only the birthplace of my wife and children, but it’s also home to my most epic failure. But as my return to Botswana approaches, after over 25 years, I can confidently say that I no longer dwell on that failure as a negative. Rather, I celebrate it.

This is a story of failure, feeling invisible, learning valuable lessons, and pivoting a negative into a positive. I hope this story brings you as much insight and inspiration as it brings me. Without further ado, here is the story of my most epic failure and the lessons that followed.

Invisible Volunteer

“I am an invisible man. No; I am not a spook … I am invisible, understand because people refuse to see.” -The Invisible Man, Ralph Ellison.

I reread this novel several times in the early 1990s during my tour in the US Peace Corps. I identified with Ellison’s words because my experiences in Botswana, Africa made me feel like an invisible volunteer.

I remember when I first volunteered for the US Peace Corps, many African Americans who knew me asked, “Why did you want to go work in Botswana, Africa?” Not only did I have my MBA, but I was also…