A couple of months ago, I had the privilege of attending an event where Malala Yousafzai gave a speech. It was just as inspiring as you’d expect it to be and every single person who attended left a better person than they had been when they walked in. I was pleased to see how many parents brought their children, and it gave me hope for the future in a time when hope is a little more difficult. As for Malala, when she walked onstage, the standing ovation was overwhelming and left everyone with tears in her eyes, and speech did justice to the expectations. What we also learned is that she’s funny – very funny. She joked about how politicians never give a straight answer, her inability to cry in situations when she should be crying (although her father cries at everything), and talked about what it’s like to not be able to go home.
I took a few notes during the speech, so here are some of the things I jotted down. Keep in mind most of this is paraphrasing, and be sure to check out the trailer to her upcoming documentary at the end!
- She was named after Malalai of Maiwand, who is often called the Afghan Joan of Arc. Perhaps she was destined.
- On why she stood up for the education of girls: She had two choices. Stay silent and wait to be killed or speak up and be killed. She chose the second.
- Is incredible thankful to her father for allowing her to be an individual and outspoken girl, rather than adhering to cultural norms
- First thing she did when she arrived in Denver was to visit the women’s correctional facility, where inmates were reading her book. She wanted to do this to see life in a different place and find out how those women feel about their situation and how they got there. It left her asking, what are the reasons for crime? The answer is not so simple. Bullying, poverty, hopelessness, & financial crises all contribute.
- You may think that your voice isn’t powerful enough but if you struggle you can make change
- She wishes for a time when she can tell her grandkids that women were treated unequally but things are okay.
- Questioning is so important. Without education you may not know that you deserve the right to vote and be equal.
- If you wait for change it will never ever ever ever ever happen. You have to make change.
- She doesn’t have a cell phone by choice.
- She found out about winning the Nobel in physics class and waited until after class to hold a press conference because education is that important.
- Keep your outside and inside identity the same to avoid major difficulties from being in the spotlight. “This is who I am now. Everyone had a different life and this is what I’ve got now.”
- She hasn’t been to Pakistan since her attack. It’s a major sacrifice but there’s a lot of risk in going home.
- She’s a normal teenager who says like and is funny. Her mom had a hard time transitioning due to women’s freedom but her mom survives by shopping.
- As a child, her mom sold her books for candies because it was more fun.
- Her mom is getting an education now, as an adult.
- Her brothers are addicted to Xbox and her relationship with them is totally normal. In fact, she joked around about them a lot, including pointing out that they told her not to get bossy, but that one brother is extremely accommodating now that she bought him an iPhone.
- Her home and school life are normal.
- The majority of people stay silent so even though there are mostly good people it’s easy to forget. Good people need to band together.
- Every person goes through hard times and you learn from it. A happy life all the time is unimaginable.
- Malala considers herself normal because this was her difficulty and it’s who she is.
- “The Taliban tried to make me quiet but they did it wrong.”
- Roller coasters give her a “weird feeling in her heart” and she is afraid of dogs. Called Splash Mountain horrible and thought she died. Will not go again.
- Her goal is to help others raise their voice on their own.
- When she settles down, she wants to do it in a country where guns are not allowed.
- She plays Candy Crush.
- It’s about everyone doing a little bit together not about one person doing a lot