by Brittany Greenquist: Malala Yousafzai — a teen Pakistani education activist and once the target of a deadly Taliban attack
Click here to view the video on YouTube.
—recently received the Nobel Peace Prize along with Indian child rights campaigner, Kailash Satyarthi. Described as “champions of peace,” both laureates have dedicated their lives — and almost sacrificed them — for the sake of others.
Malala is the youngest person to receive the prestigious award at just 17 years old. Only two years ago, Malala was fighting for girls’ rights to education in her own country when she was shot in the head by extremists. While Malala has already won our respect and adoration, her acceptance speech at the Nobel ceremony reminded us of why.
Malala said, “It is for those forgotten children who want education. It is for those frightened children who want peace. It is for those voiceless children who want change. I am here to stand up for their rights, raise their voice. It is not time to pity them. It is time to take action so it becomes the last time that we see a child deprived of education.”
We need people like Malala to teach us what it means to believe in something enough to take action on its behalf. Watch her entire speech in the video above — it’s worth every one of those twenty minutes.