Everyone should know Malala’s name

I’m as guilty as anyone. I shamelessly follow the petty fights of the housewives.  I concern myself with the state of Khloe’s marriage and I’m more in tune with TMZ than CNN.

One brave little girl named Malala Yousafzai, however, should be headlining in all of our minds.  Malala embodies everything that we so painfully take for granted in this country.  Education for girls, freedom, our right to speak out against oppression.

In case you don’t Malala’s story, here’s a brief summary. She was born and raised in Northern Pakistan.  In 2009 when she was 12, a militant warlord seized control of the region and began closing girls’ schools.  Malala appeared in two short documentaries about the closures and soon became a high profile advocate for girls’ education, even writing a blog for the BBC.  Last October, Taliban gunmen boarded her school bus and shot her in the head and neck.  Miraculously, Malala survived without any brain damage and continues to fight for the right of girls to get an education.  The Taliban vows to go after her again.  When Malala woke up after surgery, she asked for her books.

I’m not saying young girls should forsake Taylor and Selena, but let’s make room for Malala’s voice as well.  Make a shirt that says “I am Malala” and celebrate her birthday, July 12, as Malala day.  Route for her to win the Nobel Peace Prize. And, please, never again say that you’re bored and hate school.