Malala Day: A Day of Inspiration

Malala Yousafzai is wise well beyond her years.  Her voice is louder than that of an entire school as a whole. She speaks with such incredible confidence and authority that you cannot help but feel you are listening to the strength of her future.  Malala just turned 16 today.

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Hearing her speech in front of the UN touched me deep down to my core.  I was drawn to her story, but remained transfixed to her message by the power and poise of her voice.  What a stage?  A UN Special Assembly for “ Malala Day.” And she never once showed any signs of nervousness or a chink in her armor.

In her speech, she talked about the power of books and of paper and pen, and it made me want to grab my own for I didn’t want to forget anything this incredible teenage girl was saying. This 16-year-old speaks with the passion and intensity of a woman five-times her age.  She has been through so many horrors, and yet speaks not of anger or revenge, but of peace, unity, and more importantly the importance of equality and education.  

“Let us empower ourselves with the weapon of knowledge," she said...“Malala Day is not my day, today is the day of every woman, boy and girl who has raised their voice for their rights."  

All I could think as she spoke was “These are the words of a TRUE hero.” Does she have any idea how much positive change and conversation she is inspiring? I believe she does, and that's what makes her courage truly exciting.

I want my kids to watch her speech over and over again.  I want them to ask me 10,000 questions about why she is speaking and what it all means.  I want every child and adult who hears her words to spread her voice in their world.  What a courageous woman! What an inspiration! Happy Birthday Malala.