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| Picture via NYTimes video |
Malala Yousafazai is a 14-year-old Pakistani girl who has been sharing her story and speaking out against the Taliban since she was 11, fighting for education for young girls, only to be shot in the head and neck for courage.
What stands out for me, aside from the fearless strength of this young girl's character, is the fact that her friends were willing to die to protect her.
When gun-toting men stopped their school wagon in Mingora last Tuesday around 12.45 p.m. asking for Malala Yousafzai, none of the three girls inside spoke. This, despite the terrorists threatening to shoot all of them if they did not identify Malala.
Today, stirred by the braveheart, who dared to stand up to the Taliban, and her friends, Shazia and Kainat, who refused to identify her even under threat, girls across Pakistan are saying ‘I am Malala.’Now, a movement of "I am Malala" has spread across Pakistan, showing the continued support for this young advocate. Although her wounds were serious, she has survived, and I believe she survived for a reason. Her fight, her story, her LIFE is going to change the world. She still has work to do.
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| Screen shot from Amanda Todd's video |
On the other side of the world, closer to home for me, Amanda Todd has killed herself after years of bullying, both online and physically. When I first heard about this story, my first thought was for the mom who was going to bed unable to kiss her daughter good night ever again. I had just put Lola to bed, kissing her and admiring her innocence.
Amanda's death hit me hard because cyber bullying is something I have seen between so-called adults, and want to educate my own kids about so they can handle anything that comes their way.
Watching Amanda's video, seeing the outpouring of condolences online, and expressing my own frustration with cyber bullying on Twitter, I have come to the conclusion that Amanda's video that she posted only a month before killing herself, was maybe it was what her story was supposed to be.
Maybe her cries for help, her video, her death are all suppose to be lessons that might never be learned had this all not received the attention it has.
People are pissed and rightfully so. This young girl is dead because she was pushed over the edge by malicious, ignorant, selfish bullies. Not once. Not twice. But over the course of three years.
I hope these stories, Amanda's and Malala's, do not fade from memory like so many do.
These young girls have made a difference. Their stories will continue to make a difference if we actually LEARN something from them.
Young people have a voice. It is up to us to listen.
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Powerful story, thank you. I hate when I hear about bullying. I don't know what it is that makes people, especially kids, think that they are not only so much better than someone, but that they need to put the other person down. I hope we find a way to successfully deal with this, aside from working hard with our own kids to keep them safe, as well as not allow them to be yet another bully if that's the case.
ReplyDeleteA recent trip to Oregon introduced me to a man who's working, hard on anti-bully campaigns. I can only hope he's not only successful in Oregon, but all across the world.
Cheers
Matt