Congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson Releases Statement in Recognition of Malala Yousafzai:
WASHINGTON – Today, Congresswoman Eddie Bernice released the following floor statement in recognition of the one year anniversary of the failed assassination attempt of Malala Yousafzai. The 16-year-old activist for girls’ education was shot in the head by a Taliban gunman while riding the bus home from school in her home nation of Pakistan. Malala Yousafzai has inspired the world with her bravery and devotion to education equality.
“Mr. Speaker, I rise today in recognition of Malala Yousafzai. On October 9, 2012 – one year ago today – Malala was the target of an assassination attempt by the Taliban because she chose to speak out against their efforts to ban girls from school in her Swat Valley neighborhood of Pakistan. Since then, Malala has emerged as a leading voice for underprivileged children, especially girls, in the fight for global education equality.
Along with former British Prime Minister Gordon Brown and the “A World at School” movement, Malala will work to raise $500 million over the next three years to provide education to the 300,000 Syrian school-aged children living in Lebanon. In addition to this and winning an International Children’s Peace Prize for her overall efforts, Malala was recently honored at the opening dedication of Europe’s largest public library. In a recent address given at the UN, she reiterated her mission, “They thought that the bullets would silence us, but they failed…and then, out of that silence, came thousands of voices.”
For many, Malala Yousafzai, is a symbol of resilience and courage in her fight for global education equality. Please join me in supporting Malala and her efforts on the anniversary of the Taliban’s heinous failed assassination attempt. I proudly acknowledge and encourage her to continue her efforts for education equality.”
