On Malala Day, Celebrating Everyday Activists

Malala Yousafzai was only 15 years old when a pair of Taliban fighters stepped onto the bus she was taking home from school in Pakistan’s Swat Valley. By that time, she’d been an advocate for girls education for years, writing under an assumed name for the BBC about life under the oppressive regime.?

“Who is Malala?” one of the fighters asked, looking for the girl—yes, the girl—who since adolescence had documented the daily terror of her life: the nightmares mingling with the very real artillery fire waged into the night; the threat of her school being blown up while she was there, as had happened to at least a hundred other girls schools around the country; the death threats against her family.?

By the time one of the gunmen pulled the trigger, firing the bullet that sailed through her left temple, Malala had already won multiple awards for her advocacy. This girl, the one with a bullet now lodged in her shoulder, having torn through her jaw, shattered her ear drum, and drove bits of skull into her brain—had earned international acclaim, had a school named for her, and was establishing a fund that would help poor girls receive an education.?

The gunmen aboard the bus that day hoped that by shooting Malala, they could silence not just her, but the movement she had built. Instead, the opposite happened. Malala recovered, and her passion, resilience and vision only grew. July 12 of each year isn’t just Malala’s birthday; it’s Malala Day, recognized by the UN since 2013.?

It’s unfortunate that the need for Malala’s activism has only increased in recent years. Following the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan in 2021, women and girls in the country have seen their rights curtailed to virtual nonexistence. Girls’ schools closed, and women were banned from attending university or holding jobs. Most recently, salons were ordered to close, marking the end of one of the few trips outside their homes that women were still permitted to make.?

Malala Day isn’t just about honoring one woman’s strength—it’s also about celebrating the women still fighting oppression in everyday ways, both near and far. It’s for girls risking violence to attend school; it’s also for those fighting to close the pay gap, for representation in male-dominated fields, and the more equitable division of domestic labor. It’s as much for outspoken advocates as it is for the quiet ones, pushing for change through their daily actions.?

Malala Yousafzai deserves enormous praise for what she’s done, and continues to do. But this July 12, let’s also remember all the women and girls whose names we may never know, but whose courage and determination are every bit as essential to the fight.