One Child, One Teacher, One Book, and One Pen

I would be remiss if I did not take a moment to express in my journal how very happy I am to see Malala Yousafzai announced as one of the winners of the Nobel Peace Price. I have the deepest admiration for her and her struggle to bring international attention to the oppression of women in Pakistan and the world over.

Personally, it’s hard for me to get my head around the fact that we still live in a world where girls are systematically denied access to education. That anyone should attempt to assassinate a girl for going to school seems a situation more apt for the world of dystopian fiction than for this very real planet we all call home. It is tragic, in the deepest sense of the word.

I hope that we will all unite with Malala and support her cause, in small in big ways, by whatever means are within our reach, during the months and years to come. Education, particularly education for girls, should never be taken for granted.

Malala is much better at speaking to her mission and experience than I could ever hope to be, so I’ll leave you with an interview conducted by the PBS News Hour a year ago in October. Please take a moment to watch; I think you will find her as inspiring as I do.