Gone are the days when the “RIGHT TO SPEECH & OPINION” only belonged to men. Public forums are no more just a place for the gentlemen to speak about their views and thoughts on a particular subject, but women can now be expressive about their opinions in the public spheres. The world is shifting towards a counterbalanced society with equal rights to both the genders. The subjugation of women is no more a personal matter restricted to the four walls of the house as the stringent laws are now formulated for the betterment and progress of the womankind. International Women’s Day celebrates this positive spirit of feminine power and the dedication to stand at par with men in the society.
The world has been a witness to powerful women personalities who have inspired their own kind with their motivational words. The speeches delivered by them on the public arenas targeted the flaws in the society to accept women equal to men. They stressed the power of women and how they can bring a change in the society. let’s read them here –
Table of Contents
1. Malala Yousafzai
A Nobel Peace Prize winner in 2014 and a women’s rights activist from Pakistan, Malala Yousafzai is relentlessly working to promote female education. A courageous and fearless women identity, she is a valiant survivor of an attack by the Taliban terrorist and is an inspiring example for women accepting the atrocities inflicted on them as their fate.
Her motivational speech while accepting her Nobel Peace Prize is as follows –
“When my world suddenly changed, my priorities changed too. I had two options, one was to remain silent and wait to be killed. And the second was to speak up and then be killed. I chose the second one. I decided to speak up. The terrorists tried to stop us and attacked me and my friends on 9th October 2012, but their bullets could not win. We survived. And since that day, our voices have only grown louder. I tell my story, not because it is unique, but because it is not. It is the story of many girls… Though I appear as one girl, one person, who is 5ft 2in tall, if you include my high heels. I am not a lone voice, I am many.
I am Shazia. I am Kainat Riaz. I am Kainat Somro. I am Mezon. I am Amina. I am those 66 million girls who are out of school.”
2. Oprah Winfrey
A powerful and confident media businesswoman, producer, actress, philanthropist and a global figure, Oprah Winfrey is certainly a woman to look up to. Though skin color is given great attention to, but she fought against her odds and achieved a strong position internationally. At the Golden Globes of 2018, this successful black American woman addressed everyone with an inspirational speech amidst the #MeToo Movement. It goes like this –
“I want to say that I value the press more than ever before as we try to navigate these complicated times, which brings me to this: What I know for sure is that speaking your truth is the most powerful tool we all have, and I’m especially proud and inspired by all the women who have felt strong enough and empowered enough to speak up and share their personal stories… I want all the girls watching here and now to know that a new day is on the horizon! And when that new day finally dawns it will be because of a lot of magnificent women, many of whom are right here in this room tonight, and some pretty phenomenal men fighting hard to make sure that they become the leaders who take us to the time when nobody ever has to say ‘me too’ again.”
3. Hillary Clinton
Though being a public figure and one of the richest ladies in the world accessible to every facility which a normal woman dreams of, Hillary Clinton clearly understood what common women goes through in this male-dominated world. She delivered a powerful speech at the United Nations Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing in 1995 which revolved around 5 powerful words – ‘Women’s rights are human rights’. The rousing speech goes as follows –
“If there is one message that echoes forth from this conference, let it be that human rights are women’s rights and women’s rights are human rights once and for all. Let us not forget that among those rights are the right to speak freely — and the right to be heard.”
“As long as discrimination and inequities remain so commonplace around the world – as long as girls and women are valued less, fed less, fed last, overworked, underpaid, not schooled and subjected to violence in and out of their homes – the potential of the human family to create a peaceful, prosperous world will not be realized.”
4. Michelle Obama
Once the First Lady of the United States of America, Michelle Obama delivered an inspirational and moving speech on the occasion of International Women’s Day in 2016 in Washington, DC during the celebrations of the first anniversary of her Let Girls Learn initiative. The speech focussed on the “Importance of Women’s Rights” in the world.
The encouraging speech is as follows –
“These freedoms that we take for granted aren’t guaranteed in stone. And they certainly didn’t just come down to us as a gift from the heavens. No, these rights were secured through long, hard battles waged by women and men who marched, and protested, and made their voices heard in courtrooms and boardrooms and voting booths and the halls of Congress.”
5. Maya Angelou
Maya Angelou, an inspirational and celebrated American woman poet and author, is a prestigious figure known for her exemplary work. She addressed people with a powerful speech at President Bill Clinton’s first inauguration ceremony in 1993. After this, she became the first African-American woman to recite a poem at such a prestigious occasion. Through her speech, she urged people to scatter the message of optimism, inclusion, and the responsibility to work for change.
The poem goes like this –
‘Here on the pulse of this new day
You may have the grace to look up and out
And into your sister’s eyes,
Into your brother’s face, your country
And say simply
Very simply
With hope
Good morning.’
Hope these speeches on Women’s Day inspire both women and men and motivates them to come and work together. International Women’s Day 2020 intends to create a transformation in the world to make it a better and safe place for women. Also, it’s the best time to express your love and regards to the special ladies whom you really adore and look up to with special Women’s Day Gifts and heartening words.
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