Feminist Roots: An Incredible Story of Activism

Recent Monday posts have explored some of the Shout Out! writer’s feminist origins or introduced us to some amazing women who are making a difference in the Harrisonburg community. The efforts and contributions of these individuals help us realize that feminism’s work is far from over, and that there are great people willing to do something about it. However, the problems of inequality we face in the United States are far different from those in other countries. The recent assassination attempt of 14 year old activist Malala Yousafzai in Pakistan brings attention to an incredible woman taking a strong stand for global change.

Malala Yousafzai is a ninth grade student in Pakistan. On October 9^th, she was shot in the head and neck by a Taliban gunman who hoped to silence her voice. Yousafzai lives in a part of Pakistan that has at times come under control by the Taliban, who banned girls from going to school, as well as banning television, music, and shopping. Malala Yousafzai first came to into global prominence at age 11, when she wrote for a BBC blog which exposed these oppressive conditions. This act of defiance came with an immense risk of reprisal.

Though local schools were destroyed by the Taliban, Yousafzai keep up acts of defiance in her everyday life. Eventually, girls were able to return to school in her area. However, Malala participated in a documentary about her efforts and began to publicly speak and advocate change. Now that her identity was revealed, Malala Yousafzai received death threats from extremists.

Youstafzai continues her activism with the “purpose to serve humanity.” However, a cowardly assassination attempt just a few days ago left her fighting for life in critical condition.

Though oppressive forces attempted to silence Malala Yousafzai’s voice, they can never silence her message. I can’t even imagine the extreme amount of courage that it would take to make a stand against oppression, especially at such a young age. The example that has been set by Yousafzai is something that simply leaves me in awe.

I write this post to point out an individual that is making an incredible difference for women’s rights on a global scale. I don’t mean to belittle the inequality faced by women in the United States and other similar countries, but sometimes it’s easy to forget just how far equality still must come on a global scale. When we do hear about troubling oppression in other parts of the world, it often comes in the form of forced marriage, prostitution, or denied rights for women. It can often seem depressing and hopeless. However, when I hear stories like that of Malala Yousafzai, I gain hope for humanity. The fact that someone that young could be so brave in the face of overwhelming oppression and stacked odds is truly inspirational. I was blown away by the efforts of Malala Yousafzai, and hope that she can recover in order to continuing to serve as such a powerful force for equality and women’s rights.