National Hero Day: Our Heroes

Great Thunberg(Left), Ruther Bader Ginsberg(Middle), and Malala Yousafzai(Right).

Happy National Hero Day from Girl Power Gazette!

Although as a society we look up to fictional superheroes, like Wonder Woman and Superman, it’s important to recognize our real-life heroes that are actually making a positive difference in our lives. Your hero could be your mom, a firefighter, your grandfather, anything. We wanted to write about three of our heroes in honor of National Hero Day.

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Lucy’s hero: Greta Thunberg

Thunberg outside the Swedish parliament with a sign saying ‘School strike for climate’.

Greta Thunberg is a Swedish climate activist, who, by the age of 21 has already founded a movement called Fridays for Future, or School Strike for Climate, and raised significant awareness of global warming all over the world. School Strike for Climate, in which she and other activists skipped school on Fridays in protest, inspired the first Global Strike for Climate, which 1.6 million people took part in. Thunberg has Asperger’s syndrome, which is a form of autism. However, she views it as her ‘superpower’, because it causes her views on important subjects to be polarized, which is one of the reasons she cares so much about climate change. Thunberg has made a lasting impact on the world of climate change activism, and has been the subject of many books and documentaries, as well as being nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize! She’s my hero because the environment and climate change mean a lot to me, and it’s so inspiring to see a girl around my age cause real, positive change in the world.

“Our leaders’ intentional lack of action [towards climate change] is a betrayal toward all present and future generations," Greta Thunberg.

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Claudia’s hero: Ruth Bader Ginsburg

Ruth Bader Ginsburg posing behind a library in her justice attire.

RBG served as a Supreme Court justice in the United States. Although she recently passed away, she has accomplished many things in her lifetime. After studying at Columbia Law School, Ginsburg founded the American Civil Liberties Union’s Women's Rights Project where she advocated against gender discrimination by writing multiple law review articles. In 1980, she was appointed as the justice for the U.S. Court of Appeals for D.C. and later became nominated as a U.S. Supreme Court justice, becoming the second woman ever to become one. During her time as a justice, Ginsburg fought for gender equality, as seen by her decision in United States v. Virginia Case where she found that qualified women couldn’t be denied acceptance into the Virginia Military Institute. RBG is my hero because I find it important that human rights, especially women's rights, are equal for all. It's also empowering to see a woman in law and government who protects our constitutional rights.

 “Women belong in all places where decisions are made. It shouldn’t be that women are the exception,” Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

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Stella’s hero: Malala Yousafzai

Malala opening a school for girl refugees.

Born in Pakistan, Malala Yousafzai dedicated her life to advocating for girls’ education and standing up against oppression, even if her own life was at risk. Malala grew up in Swat Village in Pakistan where she went to an all girls school run by her father. But everything changed in 2008 when Yousafzai was only 11 years old, when the Taliban took control of her town. They banned many things like watching T.V, playing music and most importantly girls could no longer go to school. Yousafzai gave a speech protesting the school closures, which gained attention in Pakistan. She then blogged for the BBC about life under Taliban rule. In 2009, Yousafzai made her first television appearance on the Pakistan current events show, Capital Talk. With her continuing television appearances and coverage in local and international media, Yousafzai began to gain recognition for her activism. In 2011 she was nominated for the International Children’s Peace Prize and she won Pakistan’s first National Youth Peace Prize. However on October 9th 2012, Yousafzai was shot by a member of the Taliban on her way home from school. This horrible incident led to protests and her cause was taken up around the world. At the same time the Malala Fund was started to support education for girls all over the world. Yousafzai went on to win the Nobel Peace Prize and to continue her education at Oxford University! Malala is my hero because of her bravery and dedication to making the right to education accessible to all. I think her commitment to education and equality even in the face of danger shows so much resilience and is truly inspiring.

“I truly believe the only way we can create global peace is through not only educating our minds, but our hearts and our souls,” Malala Yousafzai.