Speeches That Changed Our Time

Contents Introduction 05/08/1945 • Charles de Gaulle Announcement of the end of World War II in a broadcast speech 09/02/1945 • Ho Chi Minh Declaration of independence of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam 12/10/1945 • Albert Einstein Address at the Fifth Nobel Anniversary Dinner 03/05/1946 • Winston Churchill “An iron curtain has descended across the Continent.”

08/10/1946 • Alcide De Gasperi Italian Premier Alcide De Gasperi’s speech to the Paris Peace Conference 08/14/1947 • Jawaharlal Nehru Speech delivered to the Indian Constituent Assembly in the Parliament 10/02/1947 • David Ben-Gurion Statement regarding the right of the Jewish people to establish a nation 12/09/1948 • Eleanor Roosevelt An appeal for the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights 05/01/1952 • Evita Perón The rallying cry for the descamisados to defend Perón

4

6

8

12

18

24

30

36

40

06/02/1953 • Elizabeth II Speech given at her coronation ceremony

58

09/11/1973 • Salvador Allende Farewell speech on the day of Pinochet’s coup d’état

10/16/1953 • Fidel Castro “History will absolve me.”

62

12/10/1979 • Mother Teresa Acceptance speech for the Nobel Peace Prize 118

114

05/22/2008 • Dalai Lama Conference at the Royal Albert Hall during his visit to the UK

170

11/04/2008 • Barack Obama Victory speech after being elected President of the United States

176

02/25/1956 • Nikita Khrushchev Secret speech denouncing Stalin’s cult of personality and his crimes against the people 68

10/04/1984 • Thomas Sankara Speech delivered to the General Assembly of the United Nations

124

02/27/1957 • Mao Zedong Speech about the correct handling of the contradictions among the Chinese people during the Hundred Flowers Campaign

05/08/1985 • Richard von Weizsäcker Speech delivered during the fortieth anniversary of the end of World War II

03/19/2013 • Pope Francis “We must not be afraid of goodness or even tenderness!”

182

130

06/12/1987 • Ronald Reagan “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this Wall!”

05/11/2013 • George Saunders Commencement address to the students of Syracuse University

188

136

07/12/2013 • Malala Yousafzai Speech delivered at the United Nations Youth Assembly

194

01/20/1961 • John F. Kennedy Inaugural address as President of the United States of America

74

12/07/1988 • Mikhail Gorbachev Address at the General Assembly of the United Nations regarding the reforms implemented in the Soviet Union

142

90

09/04/1995 • Benazir Bhutto Address to the Fourth World Conference on Women

01/07/2018 • Oprah Winfrey Acceptance speech for the Cecil B. DeMille Award at the Golden Globes 200

148

96

04/12/1999 • Elie Wiesel Speech about the perils of indifference to the tragedies of the twentieth century

09/10/2018 • António Guterres Speech about climate change delivered by the Secretary-General of the United Nations 206

154

212

102

11/27/1999 • Anita Roddick Address to the International Forum on Globalization

04/05/2020 • Elizabeth II Speech at the outbreak of the Coronavirus pandemic

160

09/14/2022 • Ursula von der Leyen State of the Union Address

216

108

01/11/2002 • Stephen Hawking Speech at his sixtieth birthday symposium at the University of Cambridge

164

About the author Photo credits

222

80

11/10/1962 • Pope John XXIII Address on the occasion of the opening of the Second Ecumenical Council of the Vatican 86 08/28/1963 • Martin Luther King, Jr. “I have a dream” 04/03/1964 • Malcolm X The ballot or the bullet: a speech about voting rights and armed revolution

46

04/20/1964 • Nelson Mandela “I am prepared to die”: his defense speech at the Rivonia trial

52

12/11/1964 • Ernesto “Che” Guevara Speech delivered to the General Assembly of the United Nations

5

Contents Introduction 05/08/1945 • Charles de Gaulle Announcement of the end of World War II in a broadcast speech 09/02/1945 • Ho Chi Minh Declaration of independence of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam 12/10/1945 • Albert Einstein Address at the Fifth Nobel Anniversary Dinner 03/05/1946 • Winston Churchill “An iron curtain has descended across the Continent.”

08/10/1946 • Alcide De Gasperi Italian Premier Alcide De Gasperi’s speech to the Paris Peace Conference 08/14/1947 • Jawaharlal Nehru Speech delivered to the Indian Constituent Assembly in the Parliament 10/02/1947 • David Ben-Gurion Statement regarding the right of the Jewish people to establish a nation 12/09/1948 • Eleanor Roosevelt An appeal for the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights 05/01/1952 • Evita Perón The rallying cry for the descamisados to defend Perón

4

6

8

12

18

24

30

36

40

06/02/1953 • Elizabeth II Speech given at her coronation ceremony

58

09/11/1973 • Salvador Allende Farewell speech on the day of Pinochet’s coup d’état

10/16/1953 • Fidel Castro “History will absolve me.”

62

12/10/1979 • Mother Teresa Acceptance speech for the Nobel Peace Prize 118

114

05/22/2008 • Dalai Lama Conference at the Royal Albert Hall during his visit to the UK

170

11/04/2008 • Barack Obama Victory speech after being elected President of the United States

176

02/25/1956 • Nikita Khrushchev Secret speech denouncing Stalin’s cult of personality and his crimes against the people 68

10/04/1984 • Thomas Sankara Speech delivered to the General Assembly of the United Nations

124

02/27/1957 • Mao Zedong Speech about the correct handling of the contradictions among the Chinese people during the Hundred Flowers Campaign

05/08/1985 • Richard von Weizsäcker Speech delivered during the fortieth anniversary of the end of World War II

03/19/2013 • Pope Francis “We must not be afraid of goodness or even tenderness!”

182

130

06/12/1987 • Ronald Reagan “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this Wall!”

05/11/2013 • George Saunders Commencement address to the students of Syracuse University

188

136

07/12/2013 • Malala Yousafzai Speech delivered at the United Nations Youth Assembly

194

01/20/1961 • John F. Kennedy Inaugural address as President of the United States of America

74

12/07/1988 • Mikhail Gorbachev Address at the General Assembly of the United Nations regarding the reforms implemented in the Soviet Union

142

90

09/04/1995 • Benazir Bhutto Address to the Fourth World Conference on Women

01/07/2018 • Oprah Winfrey Acceptance speech for the Cecil B. DeMille Award at the Golden Globes 200

148

96

04/12/1999 • Elie Wiesel Speech about the perils of indifference to the tragedies of the twentieth century

09/10/2018 • António Guterres Speech about climate change delivered by the Secretary-General of the United Nations 206

154

212

102

11/27/1999 • Anita Roddick Address to the International Forum on Globalization

04/05/2020 • Elizabeth II Speech at the outbreak of the Coronavirus pandemic

160

09/14/2022 • Ursula von der Leyen State of the Union Address

216

108

01/11/2002 • Stephen Hawking Speech at his sixtieth birthday symposium at the University of Cambridge

164

About the author Photo credits

222

80

11/10/1962 • Pope John XXIII Address on the occasion of the opening of the Second Ecumenical Council of the Vatican 86 08/28/1963 • Martin Luther King, Jr. “I have a dream” 04/03/1964 • Malcolm X The ballot or the bullet: a speech about voting rights and armed revolution

46

04/20/1964 • Nelson Mandela “I am prepared to die”: his defense speech at the Rivonia trial

52

12/11/1964 • Ernesto “Che” Guevara Speech delivered to the General Assembly of the United Nations

5

Ho Chi Minh

Declaration of independence of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam

Hanoi, September 2, 1945

On September 2, 1945, in Ba Dinh Square in Hanoi, Ho Chi

nations. In his communications, he denounced the revanchist

Minh spoke before hundreds of thousands of people—the entire

aims of French colonialism and openly asked for help in the fight

population of Vietnam, a population who harbored a strong sense

for independence. But since the United States feared a possible

of freedom. On that stage, pronouncing the word “independence”

Soviet influence in the area, they decided to aid France. After a

was essentially a declaration of the birth of a new country, the

few feeble attempts to avoid military conflict with diplomacy, the

Democratic Republic of Vietnam. During World War II, which

War of Indochina broke out. In 1954, after hundreds of thousands

ended on that day, September 2, six years after it had begun,

of deaths, General Giap, the able military strategist who led the

the French colony of Vietnam had fallen under Japanese domain,

Viet Minh fighters, finally defeated the French at the battle of Dien

like much of Asia. In 1941, Ho Chi Minh founded the Viet Minh

Bien Phu.

League for the Independence of Vietnam to fight the invaders, and

The war against the United States was a new chapter in the

instituted a provisional government to implement social reforms.

fight for national sovereignty. Ho Chi Minh died before the end

Japan’s surrender—a few days after the atomic bombs were

of the conflict. With his death, Vietnam lost the man who had led

dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki—changed the geopolitical

the country to independence in 1954, the man who had resisted

situation in the region. Across Vietnam, thousands of people

the American army, and the man who had dedicated his entire life

took to the streets to demand independence. French politics

to the liberation of his country. At twenty years old, he had left

stood at a crossroads. They could return to colonial dominion

his country to go to Europe and live in Paris and in London and,

and enter into a war to reconquer the territories they had lost,

later, to the United States. So it was that his political education

or they could accept the request for emancipation. No one in

began, between one temporary job and another, and it continued

Paris was willing to give up the territories in Indochina. More

when he went to Moscow and China. In all, he was far from his

than once, Ho Chi Minh wrote to the American president, Harry

people and his homeland for thirty years before he returned

Truman, who had spoken favorably of the self-determination of

to free them.

A close-up of the North Vietnamese leader Ho Chi Minh, president of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam, in 1965.

13

Ho Chi Minh

Declaration of independence of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam

Hanoi, September 2, 1945

On September 2, 1945, in Ba Dinh Square in Hanoi, Ho Chi

nations. In his communications, he denounced the revanchist

Minh spoke before hundreds of thousands of people—the entire

aims of French colonialism and openly asked for help in the fight

population of Vietnam, a population who harbored a strong sense

for independence. But since the United States feared a possible

of freedom. On that stage, pronouncing the word “independence”

Soviet influence in the area, they decided to aid France. After a

was essentially a declaration of the birth of a new country, the

few feeble attempts to avoid military conflict with diplomacy, the

Democratic Republic of Vietnam. During World War II, which

War of Indochina broke out. In 1954, after hundreds of thousands

ended on that day, September 2, six years after it had begun,

of deaths, General Giap, the able military strategist who led the

the French colony of Vietnam had fallen under Japanese domain,

Viet Minh fighters, finally defeated the French at the battle of Dien

like much of Asia. In 1941, Ho Chi Minh founded the Viet Minh

Bien Phu.

League for the Independence of Vietnam to fight the invaders, and

The war against the United States was a new chapter in the

instituted a provisional government to implement social reforms.

fight for national sovereignty. Ho Chi Minh died before the end

Japan’s surrender—a few days after the atomic bombs were

of the conflict. With his death, Vietnam lost the man who had led

dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki—changed the geopolitical

the country to independence in 1954, the man who had resisted

situation in the region. Across Vietnam, thousands of people

the American army, and the man who had dedicated his entire life

took to the streets to demand independence. French politics

to the liberation of his country. At twenty years old, he had left

stood at a crossroads. They could return to colonial dominion

his country to go to Europe and live in Paris and in London and,

and enter into a war to reconquer the territories they had lost,

later, to the United States. So it was that his political education

or they could accept the request for emancipation. No one in

began, between one temporary job and another, and it continued

Paris was willing to give up the territories in Indochina. More

when he went to Moscow and China. In all, he was far from his

than once, Ho Chi Minh wrote to the American president, Harry

people and his homeland for thirty years before he returned

Truman, who had spoken favorably of the self-determination of

to free them.

A close-up of the North Vietnamese leader Ho Chi Minh, president of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam, in 1965.

13

Alcide De Gasperi

Italian Premier Alcide De Gasperi’s speech to the Paris Peace Conference

Paris, August 10, 1946

For the countries who won World War II, Italy was seen more

return to within Italy’s national border. The country was also

as a defeated enemy than as an ally; a country who had changed

called upon to make reparations, monetary compensation for

sides during the conflict, pulling out of its alliance with Hitler’s

damages caused during the war. The economic situation was

Germany only after the defeat of Mussolini on July 25, 1943 and the

critical, and much of Italy needed to be rebuilt following the

subsequent armistice with the Allies. At the Paris Peace Conference

Allied bombings and the armed conflicts that preceded the

in 1946, the task of Alcide De Gasperi, the first president of the

Liberation. It had been eighteen long months during which the

Council of Ministers of the newly formed Italian Republic, was to

soldiers of the Reich had destroyed everything along their path

convince them of the contrary, despite the climate of suspicion

as they slowly retreated northward.

and hostility that reigned. In fact, his first words were “I feel that

For Italy, the conditions of the peace treaty were oppressive.

everything—except your personal courtesy—is against me.” And

De Gasperi underlined the decisive role that Italian partisans

he, who had personally suffered the oppression of the regime, was

and soldiers had played in the final defeat of Germany. He also

the best man for such a delicate assignment.

insisted upon the need for the international community’s trust

Italy’s national borders, established before Mussolini’s rise to

and support for the newly formed Republic whose anti-fascist

power, were being challenged. The country was forced to give

constitution would be approved in the months to follow.

up its colonies in Africa, as well as Albania and the Dodecanese

He asserted that punitive measures would serve no purpose,

Islands. Moreover, and above all, there was the failure to retain

that they would be no more than unjust provisions based on

Trieste within the Italian border. The Allies divided the city into

prejudice and near-sightedness that would harm “a hard-working

two zones: one was placed under the protection of an Allied

population of 47 million people.” The delegates listened to

military government, and the other was temporarily controlled by

his fervent appeal with interest and, indeed, “courtesy”; but,

Yugoslavia. Only eight years later, in 1954, would the area officially

ultimately, they were still cold and even indifferent.

The head of the Italian delegation, Alcide De Gasperi, during the speech he delivered at the Palais du Luxembourg in Paris, France, in 1946.

31

Alcide De Gasperi

Italian Premier Alcide De Gasperi’s speech to the Paris Peace Conference

Paris, August 10, 1946

For the countries who won World War II, Italy was seen more

return to within Italy’s national border. The country was also

as a defeated enemy than as an ally; a country who had changed

called upon to make reparations, monetary compensation for

sides during the conflict, pulling out of its alliance with Hitler’s

damages caused during the war. The economic situation was

Germany only after the defeat of Mussolini on July 25, 1943 and the

critical, and much of Italy needed to be rebuilt following the

subsequent armistice with the Allies. At the Paris Peace Conference

Allied bombings and the armed conflicts that preceded the

in 1946, the task of Alcide De Gasperi, the first president of the

Liberation. It had been eighteen long months during which the

Council of Ministers of the newly formed Italian Republic, was to

soldiers of the Reich had destroyed everything along their path

convince them of the contrary, despite the climate of suspicion

as they slowly retreated northward.

and hostility that reigned. In fact, his first words were “I feel that

For Italy, the conditions of the peace treaty were oppressive.

everything—except your personal courtesy—is against me.” And

De Gasperi underlined the decisive role that Italian partisans

he, who had personally suffered the oppression of the regime, was

and soldiers had played in the final defeat of Germany. He also

the best man for such a delicate assignment.

insisted upon the need for the international community’s trust

Italy’s national borders, established before Mussolini’s rise to

and support for the newly formed Republic whose anti-fascist

power, were being challenged. The country was forced to give

constitution would be approved in the months to follow.

up its colonies in Africa, as well as Albania and the Dodecanese

He asserted that punitive measures would serve no purpose,

Islands. Moreover, and above all, there was the failure to retain

that they would be no more than unjust provisions based on

Trieste within the Italian border. The Allies divided the city into

prejudice and near-sightedness that would harm “a hard-working

two zones: one was placed under the protection of an Allied

population of 47 million people.” The delegates listened to

military government, and the other was temporarily controlled by

his fervent appeal with interest and, indeed, “courtesy”; but,

Yugoslavia. Only eight years later, in 1954, would the area officially

ultimately, they were still cold and even indifferent.

The head of the Italian delegation, Alcide De Gasperi, during the speech he delivered at the Palais du Luxembourg in Paris, France, in 1946.

31

History has been harsh to us, perhaps, setting burdensome conditions which complicate our homecoming. . . .

DAVID BEN-GURION

A final fact. From our work in Palestine, from the society we are constructing,

(1886–1973)

our economy and science, our culture and humanity, our social and fiscal order, and from no other source, must enlightenment come to our neighbors, for if they do not learn from us and labor with us, it is with strangers, potent and tyrannous,

1904 He enrolled at the University of Warsaw in Poland, his native country.

1906 He traveled to the Holy Land for the first time.

1910 He took on the Jewish surname Ben-Gurion.

1914 He fought in World War I in the ranks of the Ottoman Empire.

1935 He was elected president of the Jewish Agency for Israel.

1946 He became the leader of the World Zionist Organization.

May 14, 1948 He formally declared the establishment of the State of Israel.

1948–1963 He performed the duties of prime minister and minister of Defense.

that they will find themselves partnered.

They in turn have much to give us, they are blessed with what we lack. Great territories, ample for themselves and their children’s children, even if they are far more prolific than they are today. We do not covet their expanses nor will we penetrate them—for we shall fight to end Diaspora in Arab lands as fiercely as we fought to end it in Europe, we want to be assembled wholly in our own Land.

But if this region is to expand to the full, there must be reciprocity, there can be mutual aid—economic, political and cultural—between Jew and Arab. That is the necessity which will prevail, and the daily fulminations of their leaders should not alarm us unduly—they do not echo the real interests of the Arab peoples.

Come what may, we will not surrender our right to free Aliyah, to rebuild our shattered Homeland, to claim statehood. If we are attacked, we will fight back. But we will do everything in our power to maintain peace, and establish a cooperation gainful to both. It is now, here and now, from Jerusalem itself, that a

1956 He approved Israel’s intervention against Egypt in the Suez Crisis.

call must go out to the Arab nations to join forces with Jewry and the destined

1970 At age 84, he resigned from the Knesset, the Israeli Parliament, and retired to private life.

and progress of sovereign equals.

Jewish State and work shoulder to shoulder for our common good, for the peace

April 7, 1948, Ben-Gurion (in the center with the jacket) salutes the last British troops as they leave Palestine from the Port of Haifa.

44

History has been harsh to us, perhaps, setting burdensome conditions which complicate our homecoming. . . .

DAVID BEN-GURION

A final fact. From our work in Palestine, from the society we are constructing,

(1886–1973)

our economy and science, our culture and humanity, our social and fiscal order, and from no other source, must enlightenment come to our neighbors, for if they do not learn from us and labor with us, it is with strangers, potent and tyrannous,

1904 He enrolled at the University of Warsaw in Poland, his native country.

1906 He traveled to the Holy Land for the first time.

1910 He took on the Jewish surname Ben-Gurion.

1914 He fought in World War I in the ranks of the Ottoman Empire.

1935 He was elected president of the Jewish Agency for Israel.

1946 He became the leader of the World Zionist Organization.

May 14, 1948 He formally declared the establishment of the State of Israel.

1948–1963 He performed the duties of prime minister and minister of Defense.

that they will find themselves partnered.

They in turn have much to give us, they are blessed with what we lack. Great territories, ample for themselves and their children’s children, even if they are far more prolific than they are today. We do not covet their expanses nor will we penetrate them—for we shall fight to end Diaspora in Arab lands as fiercely as we fought to end it in Europe, we want to be assembled wholly in our own Land.

But if this region is to expand to the full, there must be reciprocity, there can be mutual aid—economic, political and cultural—between Jew and Arab. That is the necessity which will prevail, and the daily fulminations of their leaders should not alarm us unduly—they do not echo the real interests of the Arab peoples.

Come what may, we will not surrender our right to free Aliyah, to rebuild our shattered Homeland, to claim statehood. If we are attacked, we will fight back. But we will do everything in our power to maintain peace, and establish a cooperation gainful to both. It is now, here and now, from Jerusalem itself, that a

1956 He approved Israel’s intervention against Egypt in the Suez Crisis.

call must go out to the Arab nations to join forces with Jewry and the destined

1970 At age 84, he resigned from the Knesset, the Israeli Parliament, and retired to private life.

and progress of sovereign equals.

Jewish State and work shoulder to shoulder for our common good, for the peace

April 7, 1948, Ben-Gurion (in the center with the jacket) salutes the last British troops as they leave Palestine from the Port of Haifa.

44

Elizabeth II

Speech given at her coronation ceremony

London, June 2, 1953

Her measured voice broke the silence. Her words were

impetus of a political idealist or a visionary leader; rather, it was her

pronounced slowly and clearly so that all her subjects would

solid resoluteness that characterized her speech. The contents of

understand them, from Canada to Australia, New Zealand, and

her six-minute speech were not groundbreaking, but its delivery

Barbados; to the farthest corners of the Commonwealth. The

certainly was. The way in which the spectator was involved could

coronation ceremony had just finished. Elizabeth was just twenty-

certainly be seen as a prelude to the era of media events. For more

seven years old. She had become queen when her father, King

than sixty years, in her anachronistic role, Elizabeth II has guided the

George VI, died sixteen months earlier, but a period of mourning

United Kingdom through crises and scandals, in times of peace and

had to be observed and it had taken time to meticulously prepare

war, with conservative and liberal governments. From the iron fist

the event with which she would be presented to the eyes of the

of Margaret Thatcher to the death of Princess Diana, from Winston

world on that June 2, 1953. It was the first major event to be

Churchill to Boris Johnson, she has weathered political storms and

televised live, and on that day every television was tuned in to

tempests of gossip, tabloid headlines and desecrating punk rock hits.

London to follow the Queen’s slow, majestic walk down the aisle of

She has always fulfilled her duty, uniting her people throughout

Westminster Abbey, accompanied by the scent of incense and the

the years and across generations, staying on the scene with grace

notes of solemn music. She addressed her subjects who had been

and discretion. The rebranding of her image has been continuous—

invited to a ceremony from which they had been excluded in the

with her social-media presence, her numerous, brightly colored

past. She expressed gratitude for the welcome they had given her

hats that span an entire Pantone color chart, the fleeting grins that

and prayed for wisdom and strength. She spoke as a young woman

she has let slip in her senior years, her lipstick touchups in public,

with little experience, as a wife and daughter; and the more she

the details of her private life that have been masterfully leaked. She

spoke, the more she began to sound like the heir to the throne,

even played the role of a Bond Girl for the inauguration ceremony

appointed by God. She outlined the vastness of her kingdom,

of the Olympics in London in 2012. Queen Elizabeth is truly a pop

thereby magnifying her power, but she did so without the vehement

icon of our times.

Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Windsor ascended the throne when her father, George VI, died on February 6, 1952 and was officially crowned Queen Elizabeth II in 1953.

59

Elizabeth II

Speech given at her coronation ceremony

London, June 2, 1953

Her measured voice broke the silence. Her words were

impetus of a political idealist or a visionary leader; rather, it was her

pronounced slowly and clearly so that all her subjects would

solid resoluteness that characterized her speech. The contents of

understand them, from Canada to Australia, New Zealand, and

her six-minute speech were not groundbreaking, but its delivery

Barbados; to the farthest corners of the Commonwealth. The

certainly was. The way in which the spectator was involved could

coronation ceremony had just finished. Elizabeth was just twenty-

certainly be seen as a prelude to the era of media events. For more

seven years old. She had become queen when her father, King

than sixty years, in her anachronistic role, Elizabeth II has guided the

George VI, died sixteen months earlier, but a period of mourning

United Kingdom through crises and scandals, in times of peace and

had to be observed and it had taken time to meticulously prepare

war, with conservative and liberal governments. From the iron fist

the event with which she would be presented to the eyes of the

of Margaret Thatcher to the death of Princess Diana, from Winston

world on that June 2, 1953. It was the first major event to be

Churchill to Boris Johnson, she has weathered political storms and

televised live, and on that day every television was tuned in to

tempests of gossip, tabloid headlines and desecrating punk rock hits.

London to follow the Queen’s slow, majestic walk down the aisle of

She has always fulfilled her duty, uniting her people throughout

Westminster Abbey, accompanied by the scent of incense and the

the years and across generations, staying on the scene with grace

notes of solemn music. She addressed her subjects who had been

and discretion. The rebranding of her image has been continuous—

invited to a ceremony from which they had been excluded in the

with her social-media presence, her numerous, brightly colored

past. She expressed gratitude for the welcome they had given her

hats that span an entire Pantone color chart, the fleeting grins that

and prayed for wisdom and strength. She spoke as a young woman

she has let slip in her senior years, her lipstick touchups in public,

with little experience, as a wife and daughter; and the more she

the details of her private life that have been masterfully leaked. She

spoke, the more she began to sound like the heir to the throne,

even played the role of a Bond Girl for the inauguration ceremony

appointed by God. She outlined the vastness of her kingdom,

of the Olympics in London in 2012. Queen Elizabeth is truly a pop

thereby magnifying her power, but she did so without the vehement

icon of our times.

Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Windsor ascended the throne when her father, George VI, died on February 6, 1952 and was officially crowned Queen Elizabeth II in 1953.

59

Mao Zedong Beijing, February 27, 1957

Speech about the correct handling of the contradictions among the Chinese people during the Hundred Flowers Campaign

In 1956, Mao Zedong was still a relatively unknown figure in the

be a tsunami that threatened to drown what had been gained

West. He had yet to achieve the fame that would spread widely

during the Revolution. In Europe, the utopia of libertarian

a decade later, when half of Europe’s students, inspired by the

communism was dramatically shattered when the Red Army

Cultural Revolution, took to the streets, waving his famous Little

crushed the Hungarian revolt. In the meantime, in China, the

Red Book. At the time, the attention of the United States and

dictatorial nature of the regime soon became evident and the

Europe was focused on another, more familiar country to their

consequences for criticism were the exact opposite of what

East, the Soviet Union, and on Khrushchev’s condemnation of

had been initially anticipated.

Stalin’s crimes. It may have been in response to the changes in

Mao’s ruthless repression of the dissidents was facilitated by

Moscow that President Mao also chose to initiate a process of

the public declarations they had made in the previous months,

democratization, supporting the collaboration among political

when they had expressed themselves freely in the belief that

cadres, intelligentsia, and citizens in the name of freedom

they could make their voices heard without repercussions. The

of speech and of the press. The goal was to stimulate the

victims were primarily the intellectuals whose integration with

expression of collective ideas, without dogmatism, to resolve the

the masses of farmers and laborers was one of Mao’s greatest

complicated issues that arose as China’s antiquated government

worries. This integration would be achieved forcibly, with arrests,

structures were transformed into a new socialist society. But the

convictions and detention in re-education camps. Free of

results were unexpected. The new regime had been established

dissidents, the party became stronger, and this led historians and

too recently to instill automatic acceptance of Maoist dogmas,

scholars to question the true intentions of Mao and the Hundred

and the initiative immediately backfired, opening up a Pandora’s

Flowers Campaign. Had it been a sincere attempt at opening

box of malcontent and intolerance. The “gentle breeze and

China up to democracy, or was it simply a tremendous scheme

a mild rain” of criticism that Mao had hoped for turned out to

plotted against the Chinese people by the Great Helmsman?

On October 1, 1954, Mao Zedong salutes the crowd during the celebration of the anniversary of the People’s Republic of China, which he founded in 1949.

75

Mao Zedong Beijing, February 27, 1957

Speech about the correct handling of the contradictions among the Chinese people during the Hundred Flowers Campaign

In 1956, Mao Zedong was still a relatively unknown figure in the

be a tsunami that threatened to drown what had been gained

West. He had yet to achieve the fame that would spread widely

during the Revolution. In Europe, the utopia of libertarian

a decade later, when half of Europe’s students, inspired by the

communism was dramatically shattered when the Red Army

Cultural Revolution, took to the streets, waving his famous Little

crushed the Hungarian revolt. In the meantime, in China, the

Red Book. At the time, the attention of the United States and

dictatorial nature of the regime soon became evident and the

Europe was focused on another, more familiar country to their

consequences for criticism were the exact opposite of what

East, the Soviet Union, and on Khrushchev’s condemnation of

had been initially anticipated.

Stalin’s crimes. It may have been in response to the changes in

Mao’s ruthless repression of the dissidents was facilitated by

Moscow that President Mao also chose to initiate a process of

the public declarations they had made in the previous months,

democratization, supporting the collaboration among political

when they had expressed themselves freely in the belief that

cadres, intelligentsia, and citizens in the name of freedom

they could make their voices heard without repercussions. The

of speech and of the press. The goal was to stimulate the

victims were primarily the intellectuals whose integration with

expression of collective ideas, without dogmatism, to resolve the

the masses of farmers and laborers was one of Mao’s greatest

complicated issues that arose as China’s antiquated government

worries. This integration would be achieved forcibly, with arrests,

structures were transformed into a new socialist society. But the

convictions and detention in re-education camps. Free of

results were unexpected. The new regime had been established

dissidents, the party became stronger, and this led historians and

too recently to instill automatic acceptance of Maoist dogmas,

scholars to question the true intentions of Mao and the Hundred

and the initiative immediately backfired, opening up a Pandora’s

Flowers Campaign. Had it been a sincere attempt at opening

box of malcontent and intolerance. The “gentle breeze and

China up to democracy, or was it simply a tremendous scheme

a mild rain” of criticism that Mao had hoped for turned out to

plotted against the Chinese people by the Great Helmsman?

On October 1, 1954, Mao Zedong salutes the crowd during the celebration of the anniversary of the People’s Republic of China, which he founded in 1949.

75

Pope John XXIII

Address on the occasion of the opening of the Second Ecumenical Council of the Vatican

Vatican City, October 11, 1962

The thousand torches that were ablaze in St. Peter’s Square called

Jesus lived her last days on earth. He concluded his speech with

out to the Pope. The crowd of worshippers who had rushed to

an invitation to tenderness: “Give your children a caress and tell

participate in the first day of the second Vatican Ecumenical Council

them ‘This is the caress of the Pope’”—a tangible, humane gesture

jubilantly called for His Holiness to make an address. Pope John

to cherish in the warmest of handkerchiefs, to take to the children

XXIII was a bit reluctant. He had already expressed many complex

waiting at home, to dry their tears in a family bound by their faith.

principles inside the cathedral, in front of the 2,800 cardinals,

The urgency of the church to speak to the world, to adapt the

patriarchs, and bishops who had arrived from every corner of

language of an “unchangeable doctrine” to the times, stemmed from

the world. But he knew he could not step away from the fervor;

this brief speech improvised by a pope who was moved by the

so, head bowed, he put on his stole and followed protocol.

historical steps that had just been taken. The works of the Council,

The speech he delivered from the window of the Apostolic Palace

which he had convened three years earlier, would be long and

was unconventional. Rather than being magniloquent rhetoric,

arduous, and the Good Pope, as he was known, would not live

it was a memorable sample and an unmistakable sign of the times,

to see them finished. He died the following year, and the Council

broadcast worldwide. Initially, he called attention to the moon,

was closed by his successor, Pope Paul VI, in 1965.

encouraging worshippers to admire the beauty of such a creation

The translation of the Bible into living languages, Mass being

through his simple eyes, the eyes of a man who had been born and

recited in languages other than Latin, the altar as a table from

raised in a family of humble origins. With the ardor of a father, he

behind which the priest says Mass, facing the congregation rather

extolled the church’s sense of unity, the fellowship of populations,

than turning his back to them, the dialogue between Christians, the

and the concept of Christian charity. He called upon Mother Mary,

opening of the church to the world, and the inclusion of lay persons

who was being celebrated that same day in Ephesus, Turkey, with

in the liturgy are only a few of the innovations that were born

a like number of burning torches at the shrine dedicated to her,

at the second Vatican Council, under the amenable light of that

the House of the Virgin Mary, believed to be where the Mother of

brilliant moon.

Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli was elected Pope on October 28, 1958, and was crowned on November 4 of the same year. He chose the name John XXIII. 87

Pope John XXIII

Address on the occasion of the opening of the Second Ecumenical Council of the Vatican

Vatican City, October 11, 1962

The thousand torches that were ablaze in St. Peter’s Square called

Jesus lived her last days on earth. He concluded his speech with

out to the Pope. The crowd of worshippers who had rushed to

an invitation to tenderness: “Give your children a caress and tell

participate in the first day of the second Vatican Ecumenical Council

them ‘This is the caress of the Pope’”—a tangible, humane gesture

jubilantly called for His Holiness to make an address. Pope John

to cherish in the warmest of handkerchiefs, to take to the children

XXIII was a bit reluctant. He had already expressed many complex

waiting at home, to dry their tears in a family bound by their faith.

principles inside the cathedral, in front of the 2,800 cardinals,

The urgency of the church to speak to the world, to adapt the

patriarchs, and bishops who had arrived from every corner of

language of an “unchangeable doctrine” to the times, stemmed from

the world. But he knew he could not step away from the fervor;

this brief speech improvised by a pope who was moved by the

so, head bowed, he put on his stole and followed protocol.

historical steps that had just been taken. The works of the Council,

The speech he delivered from the window of the Apostolic Palace

which he had convened three years earlier, would be long and

was unconventional. Rather than being magniloquent rhetoric,

arduous, and the Good Pope, as he was known, would not live

it was a memorable sample and an unmistakable sign of the times,

to see them finished. He died the following year, and the Council

broadcast worldwide. Initially, he called attention to the moon,

was closed by his successor, Pope Paul VI, in 1965.

encouraging worshippers to admire the beauty of such a creation

The translation of the Bible into living languages, Mass being

through his simple eyes, the eyes of a man who had been born and

recited in languages other than Latin, the altar as a table from

raised in a family of humble origins. With the ardor of a father, he

behind which the priest says Mass, facing the congregation rather

extolled the church’s sense of unity, the fellowship of populations,

than turning his back to them, the dialogue between Christians, the

and the concept of Christian charity. He called upon Mother Mary,

opening of the church to the world, and the inclusion of lay persons

who was being celebrated that same day in Ephesus, Turkey, with

in the liturgy are only a few of the innovations that were born

a like number of burning torches at the shrine dedicated to her,

at the second Vatican Council, under the amenable light of that

the House of the Virgin Mary, believed to be where the Mother of

brilliant moon.

Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli was elected Pope on October 28, 1958, and was crowned on November 4 of the same year. He chose the name John XXIII. 87

Martin Luther King, Jr. Washington, D.C., August 28, 1963

“I have a dream” On a hot day in August 1963, more than 250,000 people from every corner of the United States converged on Washington to take part in the March for Jobs and Freedom, the largest rally for civil rights in American history. The African American community marched along the mile between the Washington Monument and the Lincoln Memorial, hoping it would be the last leg of the long, hard road that would lead to the recognition of their dignity. Slavery had been abolished a century earlier; but another, equally hateful form of racism and discrimination had quickly taken hold across the country: racial segregation.

After the dramatic clashes between police and protesters in Birmingham, Alabama, a few months earlier, tensions were running high and the deployment of law-enforcement agents was powerful. But from the first moments of the march, it was clear that that August 28 would be remembered as a great day for a movement that had made nonviolence its emblem, a day in which there would be no incidents or clashes. At the foot of the Lincoln Memorial, under the gaze of the president who had issued the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863 that declared the freedom of millions of slaves, speakers and performers took turns at the microphone; the gospel legend Mahalia Jackson; Joan Baez, who sang We Shall Overcome; and a young Bob Dylan. But the audience was waiting for the last speaker to take the podium. He was the Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr., the man who, more than any other, could give a voice and hope for a better future to the millions of African Americans that were being forced to live on the edge of society. The reverend’s intense passion and his inspired words shaped what would become one of the most riveting messages of peace, love, and equality in the history of the world. He spoke of his “dream” of a more equitable society, based on principles that are rooted in the Declaration of Independence and in the Constitution of the United States of America, but that seem to have been forgotten by so many citizens and politicians. Television brought Martin Luther King’s speech into the homes of millions of Americans, rattling the conscience of many of them. The approval of the Civil Rights Act in 1964 and the Voting Rights Act in 1965 established the end of segregation and the beginning of a new era for the African American community and for the entire country.

90

91

Martin Luther King, Jr. Washington, D.C., August 28, 1963

“I have a dream” On a hot day in August 1963, more than 250,000 people from every corner of the United States converged on Washington to take part in the March for Jobs and Freedom, the largest rally for civil rights in American history. The African American community marched along the mile between the Washington Monument and the Lincoln Memorial, hoping it would be the last leg of the long, hard road that would lead to the recognition of their dignity. Slavery had been abolished a century earlier; but another, equally hateful form of racism and discrimination had quickly taken hold across the country: racial segregation.

After the dramatic clashes between police and protesters in Birmingham, Alabama, a few months earlier, tensions were running high and the deployment of law-enforcement agents was powerful. But from the first moments of the march, it was clear that that August 28 would be remembered as a great day for a movement that had made nonviolence its emblem, a day in which there would be no incidents or clashes. At the foot of the Lincoln Memorial, under the gaze of the president who had issued the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863 that declared the freedom of millions of slaves, speakers and performers took turns at the microphone; the gospel legend Mahalia Jackson; Joan Baez, who sang We Shall Overcome; and a young Bob Dylan. But the audience was waiting for the last speaker to take the podium. He was the Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr., the man who, more than any other, could give a voice and hope for a better future to the millions of African Americans that were being forced to live on the edge of society. The reverend’s intense passion and his inspired words shaped what would become one of the most riveting messages of peace, love, and equality in the history of the world. He spoke of his “dream” of a more equitable society, based on principles that are rooted in the Declaration of Independence and in the Constitution of the United States of America, but that seem to have been forgotten by so many citizens and politicians. Television brought Martin Luther King’s speech into the homes of millions of Americans, rattling the conscience of many of them. The approval of the Civil Rights Act in 1964 and the Voting Rights Act in 1965 established the end of segregation and the beginning of a new era for the African American community and for the entire country.

90

91

Thomas Sankara

Speech delivered to the General Assembly of the United Nations

New York, October 4, 1984

When the president of Burkina Faso, Thomas Sankara, got up to speak to the General Assembly of the United Nations, very little

basic rights be trampled for the economic gain of just a few.

The initial measures to be adopted were simple and necessary:

was known about him or the country he came from. He was a

to send children to school and vaccinate them so they did not

man about thirty years old in a military uniform who delivered

die of measles; to overcome the feudal system that was still

his speech in French; but where was Burkina Faso, exactly? Until

enforced in the countryside; to eliminate the tangle of privileges

just a few months earlier, it had been known as Upper Volta, a

of many state officials; and to build houses for those who lived

landlocked strip of earth bordering on the Sahara desert, swept

in miserable shacks on the edge of the cities. With pride and

by a dry wind many months of the year. Sankara began by saying

hope, Burkina Faso looked out on a world that was dominated

that after more than twenty years of independence that had

by two great opposing powers. Struggling on the fringes were the

brought them nothing, the people there no longer intended to

Third-World Countries: lands that had been there for the taking.

die of hunger and thirst. Foreign aid made no actual contribution

Lands that were plundered and pillaged without remorse by the

to development, and the models proposed by “charlatan”

powerful, who allocated great sums of money to build weapons,

development specialists did not work and had to be abandoned.

the instruments of death used to appropriate raw materials that

It was time for change, change that was possible even in Burkina

were needed by the Western societies.

Faso’s desperate situation, where one child in five did not reach

Sankara was killed three years later. He was disliked by many,

the age of one and only two percent of the population could

not only in Africa. He was becoming an inspiration for Africa’s new

read and write; where few had access to drinkable water, and

generations, and his condemnation of the hypocrisy and arrogance

having two meals a day was considered a luxury. Sankara spoke

of the powerful in the world had become intolerable to them. The

of restraint, austerity, and moral integrity. At the same time, he

essence of his philosophy called for the creation of a “world with

expressed his solidarity with the populations of other countries

more justice and no wars,” but it would have to wait. Who knows

who were enduring the same suffering and were also seeing their

for how long?

The president of Burkina Faso, Thomas Sankara, during the visit of the French president, François Mitterrand, on November 18, 1986 in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.

125

Thomas Sankara

Speech delivered to the General Assembly of the United Nations

New York, October 4, 1984

When the president of Burkina Faso, Thomas Sankara, got up to speak to the General Assembly of the United Nations, very little

basic rights be trampled for the economic gain of just a few.

The initial measures to be adopted were simple and necessary:

was known about him or the country he came from. He was a

to send children to school and vaccinate them so they did not

man about thirty years old in a military uniform who delivered

die of measles; to overcome the feudal system that was still

his speech in French; but where was Burkina Faso, exactly? Until

enforced in the countryside; to eliminate the tangle of privileges

just a few months earlier, it had been known as Upper Volta, a

of many state officials; and to build houses for those who lived

landlocked strip of earth bordering on the Sahara desert, swept

in miserable shacks on the edge of the cities. With pride and

by a dry wind many months of the year. Sankara began by saying

hope, Burkina Faso looked out on a world that was dominated

that after more than twenty years of independence that had

by two great opposing powers. Struggling on the fringes were the

brought them nothing, the people there no longer intended to

Third-World Countries: lands that had been there for the taking.

die of hunger and thirst. Foreign aid made no actual contribution

Lands that were plundered and pillaged without remorse by the

to development, and the models proposed by “charlatan”

powerful, who allocated great sums of money to build weapons,

development specialists did not work and had to be abandoned.

the instruments of death used to appropriate raw materials that

It was time for change, change that was possible even in Burkina

were needed by the Western societies.

Faso’s desperate situation, where one child in five did not reach

Sankara was killed three years later. He was disliked by many,

the age of one and only two percent of the population could

not only in Africa. He was becoming an inspiration for Africa’s new

read and write; where few had access to drinkable water, and

generations, and his condemnation of the hypocrisy and arrogance

having two meals a day was considered a luxury. Sankara spoke

of the powerful in the world had become intolerable to them. The

of restraint, austerity, and moral integrity. At the same time, he

essence of his philosophy called for the creation of a “world with

expressed his solidarity with the populations of other countries

more justice and no wars,” but it would have to wait. Who knows

who were enduring the same suffering and were also seeing their

for how long?

The president of Burkina Faso, Thomas Sankara, during the visit of the French president, François Mitterrand, on November 18, 1986 in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.

125

Benazir Bhutto

Address to the Fourth World Conference on Women

Beijing, September 4, 1995

Benazir Bhutto was serving her second term as Pakistan’s prime

after a clash with President Ghulam Ishaq Khan, whom she

minister when she delivered her speech to the Fourth World

accused of favoring the conservative Nawaz Sharif. In 1993,

Conference on Women in Beijing on September 4, 1995.

the Pakistan Peoples Party won the election again and Bhutto

A courageous and progressive declaration was signed during

returned to power for three years, but the situation became so

the conference, promoting gender equality and human rights

dangerous that she began to fear for her life and was forced to

throughout the world. A platform of action was also approved.

leave the country. With great courage and tenacity, she returned

It indicated crucial areas of intervention: the introduction of laws,

to Pakistan in 2007 but was assassinated during her election

social policies, strategies, and plans of action aimed at helping

campaign.

women of all ages, the reinforcement of institutional mechanisms,

In her speech, Benazir Bhutto mapped out the lines of a

and the promotion of practices that recognized the positive role

modern Pakistan where women would play a central role. It was

and the fundamental contribution of women in society, politics,

an unprecedented view in a context where all decisions had

and economics. This was the context in which Benazir Bhutto

always been made by men, some of whom exploited and distorted

took the podium. Although she knew how difficult it would be,

the teachings of the Qur’an in order to maintain that power.

she intended to fight for these causes personally, ideally picking

Women’s emancipation was also made more difficult by the dual

up the torch of her father, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, who had been

system of civil law and Muslim, or sharia, law. A woman’s condition

overthrown and then executed by the men of the coup leader,

also depended on her class, the religion she professed, her level of

Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq. In 1988, at the age of only 35, she had

instruction, her economic independence, and whether she lived in

become the first woman to be elected prime minister in the

an urban or a rural area. In reality, Pakistan’s constitution, which

entire Muslim world, but her government lasted for only twenty

was approved in 1973, guaranteed gender equality, but it was

months. In 1990, she was unseated, like her father before her,

never applied.

An intense portrait of Benazir Bhutto in 1988, the year in which she returned from a two-year exile in the United Kingdom and became the prime minister of her country.

149

Benazir Bhutto

Address to the Fourth World Conference on Women

Beijing, September 4, 1995

Benazir Bhutto was serving her second term as Pakistan’s prime

after a clash with President Ghulam Ishaq Khan, whom she

minister when she delivered her speech to the Fourth World

accused of favoring the conservative Nawaz Sharif. In 1993,

Conference on Women in Beijing on September 4, 1995.

the Pakistan Peoples Party won the election again and Bhutto

A courageous and progressive declaration was signed during

returned to power for three years, but the situation became so

the conference, promoting gender equality and human rights

dangerous that she began to fear for her life and was forced to

throughout the world. A platform of action was also approved.

leave the country. With great courage and tenacity, she returned

It indicated crucial areas of intervention: the introduction of laws,

to Pakistan in 2007 but was assassinated during her election

social policies, strategies, and plans of action aimed at helping

campaign.

women of all ages, the reinforcement of institutional mechanisms,

In her speech, Benazir Bhutto mapped out the lines of a

and the promotion of practices that recognized the positive role

modern Pakistan where women would play a central role. It was

and the fundamental contribution of women in society, politics,

an unprecedented view in a context where all decisions had

and economics. This was the context in which Benazir Bhutto

always been made by men, some of whom exploited and distorted

took the podium. Although she knew how difficult it would be,

the teachings of the Qur’an in order to maintain that power.

she intended to fight for these causes personally, ideally picking

Women’s emancipation was also made more difficult by the dual

up the torch of her father, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, who had been

system of civil law and Muslim, or sharia, law. A woman’s condition

overthrown and then executed by the men of the coup leader,

also depended on her class, the religion she professed, her level of

Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq. In 1988, at the age of only 35, she had

instruction, her economic independence, and whether she lived in

become the first woman to be elected prime minister in the

an urban or a rural area. In reality, Pakistan’s constitution, which

entire Muslim world, but her government lasted for only twenty

was approved in 1973, guaranteed gender equality, but it was

months. In 1990, she was unseated, like her father before her,

never applied.

An intense portrait of Benazir Bhutto in 1988, the year in which she returned from a two-year exile in the United Kingdom and became the prime minister of her country.

149

MALALA YOUSAFZAI

rights. A deal that goes against the dignity of women and their rights is

(1997– )

unacceptable. We call upon all governments to ensure free compulsory education for every child all over the world. We call upon all governments to fight against terrorism and violence, to protect children from brutality

2009 She wrote an anonymous blog for a BBC website in Urdu that told of her life under the Taliban regime.

2012 As she was coming home from school, she was the victim of an attack that she miraculously survived. She was treated at Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham (United Kingdom) and released at the beginning of the following year after a long period of rehabilitation.

2013 With her father Ziauddin proudly by her side, she launched the Malala Fund, a non-profit organization that promotes access to education for all the girls in the world.

2014 She was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for her “struggle against the suppression of children and young people and for the right of all children to education.”

2018 She was admitted to Oxford University to study Philosophy, Politics, and Economics.

For the first time in six years, despite the risk, she returned to Pakistan.

and harm.

We call upon the developed nations to support the expansion of educational opportunities for girls in the developing world. We call upon all communities to be tolerant—to reject prejudice based on cast, creed, sect, religion or gender. To ensure freedom and equality for women so that they can flourish. We cannot all succeed when half of us are held back. We call upon our sisters around the world to be brave—to embrace the strength within themselves and realize their full potential.

Dear brothers and sisters, we want schools and education for every child’s bright future. We will continue our journey to our destination of peace and education for everyone. No one can stop us. We will speak for our rights and we will bring change through our voice. We must believe in the power and the strength of our words. Our words can change the world. Because we are all together, united for the cause of education. And if we want to achieve our goal, then let us empower ourselves with the weapon of knowledge and let us shield ourselves with unity and togetherness.

Dear brothers and sisters, we must not forget that millions of people are suffering from poverty, injustice and ignorance. We must not forget that millions of children are out of schools. We must not forget that our sisters and brothers are waiting for a bright peaceful future. So let us wage a global struggle against illiteracy, poverty and terrorism and let us pick up our books and pens. They are our most powerful weapons. One child, one teacher, one pen and one book can change the world. Education is the only solution.

Education First.

Malala Yousafzai, the Pakistani activist and winner of the Nobel Peace Prize in 2014, attends the awards-ceremony concert at Oslo Spektrum in Norway.

198

MALALA YOUSAFZAI

rights. A deal that goes against the dignity of women and their rights is

(1997– )

unacceptable. We call upon all governments to ensure free compulsory education for every child all over the world. We call upon all governments to fight against terrorism and violence, to protect children from brutality

2009 She wrote an anonymous blog for a BBC website in Urdu that told of her life under the Taliban regime.

2012 As she was coming home from school, she was the victim of an attack that she miraculously survived. She was treated at Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham (United Kingdom) and released at the beginning of the following year after a long period of rehabilitation.

2013 With her father Ziauddin proudly by her side, she launched the Malala Fund, a non-profit organization that promotes access to education for all the girls in the world.

2014 She was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for her “struggle against the suppression of children and young people and for the right of all children to education.”

2018 She was admitted to Oxford University to study Philosophy, Politics, and Economics.

For the first time in six years, despite the risk, she returned to Pakistan.

and harm.

We call upon the developed nations to support the expansion of educational opportunities for girls in the developing world. We call upon all communities to be tolerant—to reject prejudice based on cast, creed, sect, religion or gender. To ensure freedom and equality for women so that they can flourish. We cannot all succeed when half of us are held back. We call upon our sisters around the world to be brave—to embrace the strength within themselves and realize their full potential.

Dear brothers and sisters, we want schools and education for every child’s bright future. We will continue our journey to our destination of peace and education for everyone. No one can stop us. We will speak for our rights and we will bring change through our voice. We must believe in the power and the strength of our words. Our words can change the world. Because we are all together, united for the cause of education. And if we want to achieve our goal, then let us empower ourselves with the weapon of knowledge and let us shield ourselves with unity and togetherness.

Dear brothers and sisters, we must not forget that millions of people are suffering from poverty, injustice and ignorance. We must not forget that millions of children are out of schools. We must not forget that our sisters and brothers are waiting for a bright peaceful future. So let us wage a global struggle against illiteracy, poverty and terrorism and let us pick up our books and pens. They are our most powerful weapons. One child, one teacher, one pen and one book can change the world. Education is the only solution.

Education First.

Malala Yousafzai, the Pakistani activist and winner of the Nobel Peace Prize in 2014, attends the awards-ceremony concert at Oslo Spektrum in Norway.

198

Oprah Winfrey

Acceptance speech for the Cecil B. DeMille Award at the Golden Globes

Beverly Hills, California, January 7, 2018

It had been two years since Meryl Streep had accepted the

women who had been abused for years and whose voices had

Golden Globe award for lifetime achievement. She had launched

always been silenced and the story of women who had found

accusations against those among the powerful who humiliated

the courage to tell their truths in spite of the powers that

the marginalized and attempted to silence dissent. She expressed

had tried to keep them quiet. Her voice and intense passion

solidarity with the ethical press who sought to “hold power

characterized a speech that vibrated with events from her own

to account, to call them on the carpet for every outrage.”

personal experience: a difficult childhood in Mississippi in an

Two years later, on the evening of January 8, 2018, Oprah

environment of poverty and hardship, the lack of affection and

Winfrey held the same prize in her hands and delivered a speech

material possessions, the abuse she underwent, and an unwanted

that returned to the ideals expressed by Streep. She denounced

pregnancy with an unhappy ending.

the attacks on the press and called on its members to continue

Later, she moved to Nashville, Tennessee, and began to work

their search for the truth, despite threats and tensions. She also

at a number of local radio and television stations. Her sacrifices

spoke of racial discrimination and violence against women.

and determination paid off, and she became one of America’s

Her speech was full of stories and characters, much like the

best-loved talk-show hosts, as well as being a successful writer,

TV program she had hosted for twenty-five years; a program

producer, and actress. The “queen of daytime television” fought

that told the stories of everyday people and of celebrities with

relentlessly against the veiled culture of sexism and racism. She

empathy and sincerity. She told the story of herself as a little girl,

demanded women’s rights and urged them to seek empowerment,

sitting in front of the television, excitedly watching the Oscars

self-determination, and self-awareness. Just as she had been

as the sought-after statue was awarded for the first time to an

inspired fifty years earlier by seeing Sidney Poitier receive his

African American actor, Sidney Poitier. She also told the story

Oscar, perhaps some of the young girls who heard her speech

of Recy Taylor, a young mother who was beaten and threatened,

on that evening of January 7, 2018, were motivated to fight for

whose path crossed that of Rosa Parks. She told the story of

the day when there would be no more need to say “Me, too.”

The American actress and television host Oprah Winfrey, whose talk show aired on the American television network ABC for 25 years, from 1986 to 2011.

201

Oprah Winfrey

Acceptance speech for the Cecil B. DeMille Award at the Golden Globes

Beverly Hills, California, January 7, 2018

It had been two years since Meryl Streep had accepted the

women who had been abused for years and whose voices had

Golden Globe award for lifetime achievement. She had launched

always been silenced and the story of women who had found

accusations against those among the powerful who humiliated

the courage to tell their truths in spite of the powers that

the marginalized and attempted to silence dissent. She expressed

had tried to keep them quiet. Her voice and intense passion

solidarity with the ethical press who sought to “hold power

characterized a speech that vibrated with events from her own

to account, to call them on the carpet for every outrage.”

personal experience: a difficult childhood in Mississippi in an

Two years later, on the evening of January 8, 2018, Oprah

environment of poverty and hardship, the lack of affection and

Winfrey held the same prize in her hands and delivered a speech

material possessions, the abuse she underwent, and an unwanted

that returned to the ideals expressed by Streep. She denounced

pregnancy with an unhappy ending.

the attacks on the press and called on its members to continue

Later, she moved to Nashville, Tennessee, and began to work

their search for the truth, despite threats and tensions. She also

at a number of local radio and television stations. Her sacrifices

spoke of racial discrimination and violence against women.

and determination paid off, and she became one of America’s

Her speech was full of stories and characters, much like the

best-loved talk-show hosts, as well as being a successful writer,

TV program she had hosted for twenty-five years; a program

producer, and actress. The “queen of daytime television” fought

that told the stories of everyday people and of celebrities with

relentlessly against the veiled culture of sexism and racism. She

empathy and sincerity. She told the story of herself as a little girl,

demanded women’s rights and urged them to seek empowerment,

sitting in front of the television, excitedly watching the Oscars

self-determination, and self-awareness. Just as she had been

as the sought-after statue was awarded for the first time to an

inspired fifty years earlier by seeing Sidney Poitier receive his

African American actor, Sidney Poitier. She also told the story

Oscar, perhaps some of the young girls who heard her speech

of Recy Taylor, a young mother who was beaten and threatened,

on that evening of January 7, 2018, were motivated to fight for

whose path crossed that of Rosa Parks. She told the story of

the day when there would be no more need to say “Me, too.”

The American actress and television host Oprah Winfrey, whose talk show aired on the American television network ABC for 25 years, from 1986 to 2011.

201

Ursula von der Leyen

State of the Union Address

Strasbourg, September 14, 2022

Ursula von der Leyen, who had then been President of the

Von der Leyen immediately assured that “Europe will prevail

European Commission for three years, came to the hemicycle of

and Putin will lose,” as she outlined the attack on Europe and

the European parliament dressed in blue and yellow, the colors of

the democratic values that are being undermined by autocracies

the flag of Ukraine. For seven months, the country had been living

like Russia. “Today all of this has become the target of Russian

the horrors of war after having been invaded by the Russian armed

missiles,” she bluntly concluded. She recalled those who had

forces. Olena Zelenska, the wife of the Ukrainian president, was

warned as much, explicitly citing Anna Politkovskaya, the Russian

present in the chamber. From the very beginning, Europe expressed

journalist who was highly critical of Putin’s actions and who

solidarity with the Ukrainian people, calling for a unanimous and

was assassinated in 2006 under unclear circumstances. A partial

immediate response and, for once, setting aside hesitations and

admission of guilt, but one that confirms the realization that we

divisions. The war is at the frontier of the European Union. In

can no longer back down.

fact, Ukraine shares borders with Poland, Slovakia, Hungary and

There is an urgent need to strengthen the European Union and

Romania and there has been renewed talk of nuclear conflict. It is

expand the number of its member countries, as well as a need to

clear to everyone that we are facing “a turning point in international

wage a serious battle internally, against the democratic distortions

politics,” in a scenario that also includes the United States at the

and the corruption that undermine the credibility of some states.

head of NATO, and China, which is increasingly demanding space

Europe must also reduce its dependence on fossil fuels and respond

and respect globally.

to the increasingly pressing problem of climate change.Von der

The speech lasted almost an hour during which the word “war”

Leyen concluded, stating that the European institutions would strive

was repeated 16 times. Indeed, the war is an emergency, along

to help struggling citizens and the small and medium enterprises

with the ensuing energy crisis that the deteriorating relations with

that are being crushed by increasingly onerous conditions, adding

Russia have triggered, a crisis that will become even more serious

that it would do so, however, in a context in which “all member

when winter arrives.

states take responsibility for common problems.”

Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, wearing a dress in the colors of the flag of Ukraine as the country is in its seventh month of resisting the invasion of the Russian Armed Forces. Ukraine and its people have the unconditional support of the institutions of the European Union.

217

Ursula von der Leyen

State of the Union Address

Strasbourg, September 14, 2022

Ursula von der Leyen, who had then been President of the

Von der Leyen immediately assured that “Europe will prevail

European Commission for three years, came to the hemicycle of

and Putin will lose,” as she outlined the attack on Europe and

the European parliament dressed in blue and yellow, the colors of

the democratic values that are being undermined by autocracies

the flag of Ukraine. For seven months, the country had been living

like Russia. “Today all of this has become the target of Russian

the horrors of war after having been invaded by the Russian armed

missiles,” she bluntly concluded. She recalled those who had

forces. Olena Zelenska, the wife of the Ukrainian president, was

warned as much, explicitly citing Anna Politkovskaya, the Russian

present in the chamber. From the very beginning, Europe expressed

journalist who was highly critical of Putin’s actions and who

solidarity with the Ukrainian people, calling for a unanimous and

was assassinated in 2006 under unclear circumstances. A partial

immediate response and, for once, setting aside hesitations and

admission of guilt, but one that confirms the realization that we

divisions. The war is at the frontier of the European Union. In

can no longer back down.

fact, Ukraine shares borders with Poland, Slovakia, Hungary and

There is an urgent need to strengthen the European Union and

Romania and there has been renewed talk of nuclear conflict. It is

expand the number of its member countries, as well as a need to

clear to everyone that we are facing “a turning point in international

wage a serious battle internally, against the democratic distortions

politics,” in a scenario that also includes the United States at the

and the corruption that undermine the credibility of some states.

head of NATO, and China, which is increasingly demanding space

Europe must also reduce its dependence on fossil fuels and respond

and respect globally.

to the increasingly pressing problem of climate change.Von der

The speech lasted almost an hour during which the word “war”

Leyen concluded, stating that the European institutions would strive

was repeated 16 times. Indeed, the war is an emergency, along

to help struggling citizens and the small and medium enterprises

with the ensuing energy crisis that the deteriorating relations with

that are being crushed by increasingly onerous conditions, adding

Russia have triggered, a crisis that will become even more serious

that it would do so, however, in a context in which “all member

when winter arrives.

states take responsibility for common problems.”

Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, wearing a dress in the colors of the flag of Ukraine as the country is in its seventh month of resisting the invasion of the Russian Armed Forces. Ukraine and its people have the unconditional support of the institutions of the European Union.

217