Nobel Peace Prize Winner Malala Yousafzai to Accept Liberty Medal at the National Constitution Center


Malala Yousafzai became the youngest Nobel Laureate ever on October 10th when she was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize alongside Kailash Satyarthi. At just 17, Malala was picked from 278 nominees, which included both Edward Snowden and Pope Francis.

Yousafzai and Satyarthi were chosen for their work promoting children’s rights. Yousafzai became an international spokesperson for girls’ rights to education at 11 years old, when she began writing for the BBC about her experience living under the Taliban. Though she was celebrated for speaking out, Malala became the target of an assassination attempt by the Taliban and was subsequently shot down in 2012. Since her miraculous recovery, and under continued threats, Yousafzai has continued her campaign for girls’ education. The Norwegian Nobel Committee said in a statement that Malala “has shown by example that children and young people, too, can contribute to improving their own situations.”

Satyarthi, an Indian children’s rights activist, has spent decades fighting child trafficking and forced labor in India. In 2013 Satyarthi launched the Save the Childhood Movement in an effort to identify and protect children from societal values that work to erode their childhoods. The Norwegian Nobel Committee added, “it is an important point for a Hindu and a Muslim, an Indian and a Pakistani, to join in a common struggle for education and against extremism.”

Earlier this year, Yousafzai was chosen to receive the 2014 Liberty Medal for her campaign for children’s educational rights and for finding courage despite the challenges she has faced. Yousafzai will be awarded the medal in the 26th Annual Liberty Medal Ceremony held Tuesday, October 21st at 7 p.m. at the National Constitution Center on Independence Mall. Previous recipients include Hillary Rodham Clinton, Muhammad Ali, Tony Blair, and Bono.