Pakistani youth activist Malala Yousafzai receives the 2014 Liberty Medal
Pakistani youth activist Malala Yousafzai receives the 2014 Liberty Medal
Malala Yousafzai, 17, receives the 2014 Liberty Medal from Jeffrey Rosen, President and CEO of the National Constitution Center, during a ceremony on October 21 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Hundreds of people flocked to the heart of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on October 21 to witness Malala Yousafzai, 17, receive the National Constitution Center’s 2014 Liberty Medal. Malala, who also recently won the Nobel Peace Prize, is a Pakistani youth activist who has become a champion for children and their right to an education since being shot by the Taliban two years ago on her school bus. Constitution Center CEO Jeffrey Rosen presented Malala with the Liberty Medal, an annual award that honors men and women who strive to secure liberty for people around the world.
After receiving the medal, Malala addressed the crowd. “It’s not just a golden medal which you wear,” she said. “It’s hope, it’s courage, and it’s support.” She added, “I accept this award on behalf of all the children around the world who are struggling to get an education.” Malala plans to donate the $100,000 prize that comes with the Liberty Medal to her home country of Pakistan to further education for young people.
Minnijean Brown Trickey of the Civil Rights Movement’s Little Rock Nine—a group of African American teenagers who were a symbol of the ongoing fight over school segregation—spoke during the ceremony. “Malala reminds us of the power of pen over sword,” Brown Trickey said.
The History of the Medal
Prior to the ceremony, TIME For Kids met with Kerry Sautner, the Constitution Center’s Vice President of Visitor Experience and Education, to talk about the Liberty Medal and the inspiring young woman who was to receive it. Sautner described the process of choosing each year’s recipient. “There is a huge committee, and we also work with outsiders and do public polls,” she told TFK. “It takes a while to whittle it down to a few top players.”
The first Liberty Medal was awarded in 1989 to Lech Walesa, who went on to become the president of Poland. Twenty-six years later, Malala is the youngest-ever recipient, and the seventh to also win the Nobel Peace Prize. Sautner says that Malala and Walesa are both people who spread the concepts of freedom, equal rights, and liberty through their work.
Sautner added that not only does Malala have a powerful voice that speaks for children across the world, but she is a child, too. Malala’s age is one of the many reasons why she was chosen to receive the Liberty Medal, and why young people can learn so much from her.
As the youngest recipient of both the Nobel Peace Prize and the Liberty Medal, Malala has already displayed for the world her capabilities and plans for the future. Malala speaks out for the 57 million children worldwide who do not have the opportunity to attend school. She calls for countries to come together in peace, to lay down their weapons, and to use their money for education and schools, not wars.
Malala is an inspiring role model to many, and her accomplishments are extraordinary, especially considering she is just 17 years old. She reminds us that we are stronger than any challenge in our life. The world looks forward to seeing what she accomplishes next as she continues to be a voice for voiceless children of the world.