Fighting for Your Rights

Sometimes the youngest voices echo the loudest, 17 year-old Malala Yousafzai of Mingora, Pakistan is living proof.

This courageous young woman, who grew up in a society that is still stuck the dark ages with regards to social issues including gender inequality, took a stand for women across the globe during her October 10th speech thanking the Nobel committee for selecting her as one of the 2014 Nobel Peace Prize winners, placing Yousafzai among other advocates for change such as Martin Luther King Jr, Mother Teresa, Nelson Mendela, and President Obama.

 The award is presented annually to those who have "done the most or the best work for fraternity between nations, for the abolition or reduction of standing armies and for the holding and promotion of peace congresses". Yousafzai is the 16th woman and youngest recipient of the honor.

The Nobel Prize website stated that the Norwegian Nobel Committee had selected Yousafzai and Kailash Satyarthi for, "their struggle against the suppression of children and young people and for the right of all children to education."

Two years ago, Yousafzai was shot in the skull by a Taliban gun man for insisting that women are just as entitled to an education as their male counterparts. Now, Yousafzai is still fighting for a women's right to education while pursuing her own education in England.

The story of this remarkable woman not only continues the conversation for equality, but also inspires more people to fight for what they believe are undeniable rights for all humans.

In her speech, Yousafzai states " It does not matter what the color of your skin, what language that you speak, what religion that you believe in, it is that we should all consider each other as human beings and we should respect each other and fight for our rights. For the rights if children, for the rights of women, and for the rights of every human being"

So at this point you may be wondering, what is this blog post doing on a sorority blog page? I write about this today to hopefully inspire you to do what all Nobel Peace Prize winners do and stand up for what you believe in because it can inspire others and thus create change. As humans, it is important to constantly evolve in all aspects of life, social issues are an important part of evolution.  So take a chance, and fight for what you believe in. Fight for your rights.

As Yousafzai said in her speech, "Through my story I want to tell other children all around the world that they should stand up for their rights. They should wait for someone else, and their voices are more powerful."

I Do's

Well I’m the old lady of the group, and it’s that time in my life now where everyone is getting married, and those sisters of mine who have already gotten married are having babies. Even though I have a piece of paper that had cost me $60,000 dollars of debt, have a great job and career, and am pretty much in all aspects a functioning adult... I am nowhere near ready to take the plunge and marry someone.

So now, I get to just attend these glorious events. Well, it’s finally came the time where someone of my inner circle has “put a ring on it.” Lucky me was picked to be maid of honor.  I have been very fortunate that this sister is not the complete bridezilla type, but I think that is a whole other topic… But as her big day approaches I need to get in gear and start writing my maid of honor speech.

A speech… shouldn’t be too hard, right? She is one my best friends. I am a journalist…  I write for a living… I’ve given tons of speeches. I mean I’m on the news every day. Well, I am thinking it’s not going to be so easy.

This is the biggest day of her life. It has to be perfect. I want to be funny because let’be real, those are the speeches people like to hear, but I don’t want to tell any stories that no one else gets or will actually laugh at. I something think I am funny and really aren’t (…also another story). We are best friends, sorority brought us together… well she didn’t have the same fondness and passion for sorority as I did.

So… there is a lot of pressure there. I think if I stick to the basics, talk about love and their relationship, I will be fine.

I think to myself though. Man this is a lot of pressure. It’s her big day. She is the first one of us to get married. I don’t want to be the one disappointing thing for her.

But it looks like I am just going to have to suck it up and make it the best I can. I just wish I had a few practice runs before someone so special to me decides to spend their life with another person.