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Malala Yousafzai: The Future of Girls’ Education

At just 21 years old, Malala Yousafzai is a young political activist, well-known all over the world for the impact that she has made at such as young age. Malala, born in Mingora, Pakistan on July 12th, 1997, is a proud activist for female education rights in developing countries. From a young age, she has had a passion for learning and was always seeking more knowledge, but because of the unfair restrictions imposed upon girls in Pakistan, she was often unable to obtain a proper education. Although the Taliban began attacking girls’ schools in Swat, where she lived at the time, Malala was not fazed and fought for her right to education. She began blogging for the BBC in 2009 under an alias, sharing her experiences and her struggles with living in a region controlled by the Taliban. Later on that year, her alias was uncovered and it was revealed that she was the one sharing all this news. Although many loved her because of how she fought for girls’ education at such a young age with so much passion, this also put a target on her back. On October 9th, 2012, 15-year-old Malala was shot in the head by the Taliban on her way back from school, leaving her in a life-threatening condition. She was flown to a military hospital in Peshawar, Pakistan, and later, flown to Birmingham, England to receive further treatment and start her new life. Malala knows that the Taliban’s aim was to silence her, to end her life so that she would not be able to speak up for the right for girls’ education. Yet, after this event, she firmly states that this attack did not silence her, but rather gave her more courage and a stronger passion to fight for what is right, because now she knows how important of a cause this is to fight for. For her continuous and persistent activism, Malala has received many prizes, the most notable one being her Nobel Peace Prize in 2014, as she is the youngest recipient of this award ever.

Malala Yousafzai is a living example of the phrase “age is just a number”. Although she began her activism at a young age, she did not let that hinder her path, but rather, used her youth to fuel her activism. She is someone that I, personally, look up to, because her courage and passion are qualities that I believe everyone should have in order to make this world a better place. Malala is truly an inspiration to all youth around the world, showing us that it is not our age that determines what we can and can’t do, but rather our passion.

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Oscar Romero: A Hero for the Poor

Compared to all the other remarkable and world-changing humans mentioned in the previous entries, Oscar Romero is comparatively unknown. Yet, he is not someone to be forgotten or cast aside; much like Gandhi, Oscar Romero also fought for social justice for his people.

Saint Oscar Arnulfo Romero y Galdámez was the former archbishop of El Salvador, born on August 15th, 1917 in Ciudad Barrios, El Salvador. He was a role model and a pillar of strength for the poorer population of the country, who, at the time of his ordainment as archbishop, was enduring a terrible injustice. In the mid-70’s, violence started to increase within the country as the poor began to fight for their rights and were killed for doing so. After seeing so many innocent lives being taken by the government and the army, Romero spoke out against the injustice, imploring the soldiers to put down their weapons. In fact, one of his most well-known quotes to the soldiers is “The peasants you kill are your own brothers and sisters. When a man tells you to kill, remember God’s word: Thou shalt not kill. In the name of God and in the name of this suffering people, I beg you, I beseech you, I order you in the name of God, stop the repression”. Romero was a man more well-known for his moving words which preached love and unity among the people than for his actions. He continuously fought for the poor to be equal with the rich in El Salvador and his core belief stated that the poor be given the same rights and treatment as the rich. This, however, did not sit well with many in the country. On March 24th, 1980, Romero was shot and killed by a still unidentified attacker. His death brought great sadness to the country of El Salvador as they had just lost their “collective father figure” and their role model. This particularly impacted the poor, for whom he tirelessly fought in order to assure them equality.

Although not as well known as many other social justice advocates, Oscar Romero played a vital role in helping stabilize the social landscape of El Salvador. His actions and words, in accordance with his Catholic values, helped open the eyes of those in the country to see the injustice that the poor were facing, and the legacy that he left behind continues to thrive today. From Romero’s works here on Earth, we can learn what we can and should do to help our fellow brothers and sisters, and how we can further improve our society.

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Nelson Mandela: Abolishing Apartheid

Nelson Mandela is an influential icon, known all over the world for his anti-apartheid activism in South Africa. Born as Rolihlahla Mandela on July 18th, 1918 in Mvezo, South Africa, Nelson Mandela was a black nationalist and the first black President of South Africa. He studied law at the University of Witwatersrand and successfully became a lawyer. In 1944, he joined the African National Congress and held various leadership positions in the organization. Through his works in and with the ANC, Mandela helped oppose the apartheid policies in South Africa at the time, which allowed for legal segregation and enforced the supremacy of the minority white population. As an open act of defiance against the unjust discrimination enforced by the government, Mandela and the ANC launched the “Defiance Campaign” in 1952, a series of nonviolent protests carried out by civil disobedience. However, their peaceful efforts were quickly diminished by the National Party of South Africa, and Mandela knew that, unfortunately, more extreme actions would have to be taken in order to acquire the freedom that they deserved. In 1961, Mandela formed the MK, which executed targeted acts of sabotage against the government and the army in order to reclaim their rights. However, in August 1962, Mandela was captured and charged with conspiracy. He received a life sentence and was incarcerated at Robben Island, but still remained a prominent symbol of “black South African resistance”, continuing to fight for humane conditions even within the four walls of his jail. The cries for his release echoed throughout South Africa; the people wanted their beloved unofficial leader back. These demands shook the country and, without a choice, the government freed Mandela from prison in 1990, after 27 years of imprisonment. Upon his release, he became the first black President of South Africa in 1994, representing the ANC. During his first, and only, term until 1999, Mandela prioritized the availability of social services, education, and housing within the country, all while continuously fighting to overthrow any injustices previously brought on by apartheid.

Although he retired from politics in 1999, the legacy that Nelson Mandela left behind in South Africa is forever alive. He is considered by many to be the father of the nation and is highly admired all over the world for his efforts and success in overthrowing apartheid in the country. On December 5th, 2013, Nelson Mandela passed away in Johannesburg, South Africa as a result of a respiratory infection. His story of how he overcame struggles, such as incarceration, in order to achieve his ultimate goal of abolishing apartheid in South Africa is truly inspirational, and the footprint that he has left on this world is undeniable. It is because of kind-hearted and passionate people like him that we see changes all throughout our world.

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Martin Luther King Jr.: From a Dream to a Reality

Martin Luther King Jr., born Michael King Jr., was an American Baptist minister born on January 15th, 1929 in Atlanta, Georgia, who became the face of the United States Civil Rights Movement from the mid-50s until his death in 1968. Much like Gandhi, King was an advocate for peaceful protests and believed that people of all races and ethnicities should be treated fairly and equally. A man better known for his words rather than his actions, King delivered many speeches throughout America about how we must all view each other as brothers and sisters rather than letting the colour of our skin separate us. The most well-known of these speeches is his acclaimed “I Have a Dream” speech, given at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington on August 28th, 1963. With over 200,000 people present at the demonstration as well as millions watching on TV from home, King’s moving words captured the hearts of many Americans, as well as of those all around the world. The words he spoke that day planted a seed in the minds of the Americans and ignited a fire in their hearts to end segregation in the country. He played an important role in abolishing the legal segregation that existed in America in the 1950s between the white people and African-American people and also played a vital part in the creation of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965. For his fight for social justice and to improve the world, King was awarded a Nobel Peace Prize in 1964.

On April 3rd, 1968, Martin Luther King Jr. gave yet another inspirational speech at Mason Temple in Memphis, not knowing that it would be his last. The next day, he was unexpectedly shot while he stood on the balcony outside his room at the Lorraine Motel. The assassin, James Earl Ray, was apprehended two months after the assassination, to which he plead guilty, and was sentenced to 99 years in prison.

Martin Luther King Jr. is truly a remarkable individual who serves as a role model for each and every one of us. His powerful words touched the hearts of many and prompted them to fight for the right cause. It was because of him and his actions that America saw the liberty and freedom that it offers today. Without the works that he did, God knows how the coloured people would have been treated today if segregation had not been abolished. And through his actions, King served as a role model for many others around the world who would take inspiration from him and stand up for what is right.

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Mahatma Gandhi: A Paragon of Peace

On the list of people who drastically changed the world and helped shape it into what we know today, Mahatma Gandhi ranks high. Born as Mohandas K. Gandhi on October 2, 1869, Mahatma Gandhi was an Indian activist who fought to guarantee independence to India, which, at the time, was ruled by the British. An advocate for nonviolence, Gandhi began his political activism in South Africa, organizing peaceful protests to contradict the British’ authority over the so-called “minority” in the country. Although he fought peacefully for the right cause, Gandhi was imprisoned and assaulted by the police. Nevertheless, this did not stop him on his quest to assure social justice to the different peoples of the world through nonviolent actions. Upon being released from prison in South Africa, he wanted to continue his works in India and grant his own people the rights to their own land, and so he returned to India to continue his peaceful activism there.

Mahatma Gandhi’s life revolved around the ideology that everyone deserved to be equal and that no individual should be made to feel inferior to another. In order to achieve and reinforce this state of mind that he had all throughout India, Gandhi fought tirelessly to guarantee India’s freedom from the governance of the British. At those times, India was ruled by the British, who deprived the Indians of the rights to their own land and property. In order to help the Indians reclaim their rightful territory, Gandhi preached non-violent protests, where people from all over the country, regardless of gender, age, or religion, joined forces in order to peacefully demand for the home rule. His whole belief can be summarized by his own simple words “Peaceful, non-violent, non-cooperation”. After many years of fighting to guarantee equal rights and freedom to all Indians, Gandhi finally achieved his goal in 1947.

Despite all the great works that Gandhi did, his actions did cause some uproar in India. After granting India its freedom, he also helped create the country Pakistan, where a predominantly Muslim population would reside. However, this did not sit well with many Hindus, who did not believe that the Muslims deserved their own country. And so, it was at the hands of a Hindu extremist that Gandhi was assassinated on January 28, 1948. Gandhi is a paragon of the word peace, preaching love and unity to the world. Without him, the political landscape of India would not be what it is today. Loved by many, hated by a few, Gandhi left no one indifferent.

Information Source: Gandhi Movie