The youngest recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize, and a symbol of hope for women and education around the world, Malala Yousafzai will speak this Sunday, July 24 at 7:30 p.m, at the University of Washington’s Hec Edmundson Pavilion.
Yousafzai was only 11 years old when she braved violent retribution in a 2008 speech to a local press club, asking, “How dare the Taliban take away my basic right to education?”
Thanks in part to her tireless efforts, the girls’ schools in Taliban-occupied Pakistan were eventually reopened.
On Oct. 9, 2012, Yousafzai was on a school bus when she was ambushed, and shot in the head at point-blank range.
She made a miraculous recovery and since then, Yousafzai has spoken before the United Nations, advocated for the rights of young women at London’s Girl Summit, contributed to the cause of rebuilding schools in Gaza, and used a private meeting with President Barack Obama to confront him about the use of drones in Pakistan.
In 2014, Yousafzai made history yet again by becoming the youngest Nobel Prize winner in history at just 17 years old. In her acceptance speech, she said, “As far as I know, I’m just a committed and even stubborn person who wants to see every child getting quality education, who wants to see women having equal rights, and who wants peace in every corner of the world.”
At her Seattle appearance, Yousafzai will likely speak about her book, “I am Malala,” as well as her political, social, and educational initiatives worldwide.
For more information, including where to buy tickets, go to uniquelives.com/malala-yousafzai-us.