QUOTES
History will
judge us not by what we say in this moment in time, but by what
we do next to lift the lives of our countrymen and women. It will
judge us by the legacy we leave behind for generations to come.
My journey
was supported by my many teachers and mentors who guided me to
a world opened up by the enlightenment of higher education, and
which led to my conviction that access to quality education is
the social justice issue of our time.
In this 21st
century, surely there is no place for human trafficking that victimizes
almost a million people, mostly girls and women, each year. Surely
there is no place for girls and women to be beaten and abused.
Surely there is no place for a continuing belief that leadership
qualities belong to only one gender.
There are
good signs of progress and change. Around the world, slowly, international
law and an awareness of human rights are illuminating dark corners,
in schools, in courts, in the marketplace. The windows of closed
chambers where men and women have been unspeakably abused are
being opened, and the light is coming in. Democracies, even if
tentatively, are taking root in lands unaccustomed to freedom.
Today, across
the globe, women, and also men, from all walks of life are finding
the courage to say, loudly and firmly, in a thousand languages,
“No more.” They reject mindless violence, and defend the fundamental
values of democracy, of open society, of freedom, and of peace.
Be not afraid
to denounce injustice, though you may be outnumbered. Be not afraid
to seek peace, even if your voice may be small. Be not afraid
to demand peace.
Each of us
has her own voice, and the differences among us are to be celebrated.
But our goals are in harmony. They are the pursuit of peace, the
pursuit of justice. They are the defense of rights to which all
people are entitled.
Find your
voice! And raise your voice! Let yours be a voice for freedom!
