Recap: Malala Day

While I'm in the habit of posting videos, I feel compelled to share with you Malala Yousafzai's recent address to the UN on Malala Day. I have been meaning to write about Malala Day since before Malala Day even occurred on July 12, 2013. I have been struggling with the exact words I want to say to express my appreciation and gratitude for such a courageous young woman who has inspired the world to act for girls' access to education worldwide.

Malala was the first woman I painted and her story jumpstarted my blog. Malala Yousafzai is a Pakistani teenage girl who was shot in the head by the Taliban for challenging their doctrine and advocating for girls' education. She miraculously survived the murder attempt against her and has made a full recovery. On July 12, 2013, Malala turned 16 and on her birthday she addressed the UN and viewers worldwide of the struggle for girls' empowerment and education around the world.

On July 12, my fellow interns and I gathered around a computer in our office to view the live online streaming of Malala's speech at the UN. Malala spoke eloquently, confidently, and with a sense of maturity that deceived her 16-year-old body. Her words were profound and her fight just. Despite her voice being projected through a computer speaker, I felt her presence in the room. "Malala Day is not my day: today is the day of every woman, every boy and every girl who have raised their voice for their rights," she announced. These were words of Malala's first public speech calling upon the world to act and they have yet to lose their fervor.