In the past year, the fight for equality has become a top priority throughout the world. Between equal rights for gay marriage, same-pay for women, and the fight for children’s education, the world has made some historic first steps to a better life. Emma Watson, for example, created the campaign HeForShe as the UN Women Goodwill Ambassador and made waves through social media for her stance on feminism. However, Ms. Watson is not the only woman who is fighting for change.
Seventeen year old Malala Yousafzai has been fighting for the right of children’s education for the past few years and has become the youngest person ever to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for her efforts.
Yousafzai
started her fight for children’s education while she was still a child herself. Before she was even a teenager,
Yousafzai wrote a blog for the BBC, which eventually led to a documentary and worldwide interviews on her views about education. However, Yousafzai's fight for change was not always easy. At the age of 14, she was shot by a gunman on her school bus and left in critical condition. This assassination attempt led to a world-wide outrage and people quickly started to take notice of her. This also led to a UN petition with the slogan, “I am Malala” to raise awareness on the importance of education in every child’s life. The following year, she was named as one of Times “Top 100 Most Influential People in the World.”
Even though Yousafzai
has seen hard times, she has the support of those around her. Pakistani Prime Minister, Nawaz Sharif, congratulated Yousafzai
and said, "Her achievement is unparalleled and unequaled.” He believes that she is a fine example of commitment and that future generations should look to her for guidance.
While Malala Yousafzai's efforts towards change have been remarkable, she thanks her parents for giving her the opportunity to have a voice. She said that her father did not give her anything extra, but he also did not hold her back. In her acceptance speech of the Nobel Peace Prize she thanked her father, “Thank you for not clipping my wings and letting me fly and achieve my goals. For showing the world that a girl is not supposed to be the slave and a girl has the power to go forward in her life.”
In America, we take education for granted. However, after learning about Malala Yousafzai, and her powerful fight for children’s education, it is evident that we must be the change we want to see in the world. She has fought through times of trial and despair and still rises above. She is a young woman filled with hope and optimism, she is the voice for those who are voiceless. She is Malala Yousafzai and she is changing the world
