Malala Yousafzai is the epitome of inspiration and grace. Shot in the head by the Taliban at age 15 for speaking out about a girl’s right to education, she could have hidden and lived in fear. But instead, she raised her voice even louder.
Malala spoke tonight at the University of Washington and I was grateful to be in the audience. She spoke about her Taliban attackers, “They tried their best… it has been proven that nothing can stop me, not even a bullet.”
She has become a voice for girls around the world and for their right to an education. She is not living in fear, she is speaking up and encouraging other girls to stand up. She chose to forgive her attackers, to see the how the influence of religious extremists and lack of education are turning innocent boys into suicide bombers and terrorists who know not what they do.
When speaking about what she sees in her future she said she hopes to build an army of girls around the world that, like her, are speaking up to make sure all girls have access to education and that world leaders take action. Malala shared a story of a girl who wrote her from India; the girl telling Malala of her plan to become prime minister of India and to collaborate with Malala when she becomes the prime minister of Pakistan.
This is the Malala effect and it is starting to take hold. Young girls need to have opinions, to be able to speak up, and have their voice heard Malala told us tonight.
But she is more than a fiercely intelligent, highly educated activist; she is a kind young woman. You can still see the innocent child in her, the child who loves laughter and silliness, to be with her family. She spoke about her brothers like any other sister, that they are busy playing video games and teasing her about notoriety — she told the story of her brother’s reaction to her winning the Noble Peace Prize at 17 — it didn’t mean she could become a “bossy sister,” he told her.
So as I take in the experience of tonight, the determination in her message and her beautiful young smile, I see hope. Hope that the world will change. That change will come in the form of a 19-year-old young woman whose father embraced his daughter and enabled her to have a voice, encouraged her to have a voice and gave her an education.
This is personal to me; I am a mom to a seven-year-old daughter. A daughter who is just beginning to find her voice. I will share Malala’s story with her. I will empower her to make her voice heard.
And I will support the Malala Fund to enable Malala to continue her important work.
If you haven’t heard her story, it is powerfully told in the documentary He Named me Malala (available on Netflix) and in her book, I am Malala.
