malala-yousafzai-inspirational-women-painting-series-merrill-weber

Happy 22nd Birthday to the fearless change maker, Malala Yousafzai!

Malala Yousafzai is a Pakistani activist for female education and the youngest Nobel Prize laureate. In 2008, the Taliban took control of her town in Swat Valley and banned girls from attending school. Malala was 11 years old. The following year, she wrote a secret blog for the BBC under a pseudonym, detailing her life under Taliban control. In 2012, while on a bus, Malala was shot in the head by a member of the Taliban in retaliation for her activism. 

Following her recovery, Malala became an activist for the right to education, establishing the Malala Fund, a nonprofit organization that fights for the right for girls’ education. The goal of the organization is to ensure 12 years of free, safe and quality education for every girl. She is the recipient of many awards, including the Nobel Peace Prize.

“We realize the importance of our voices only when we are silenced.” ~Malala Yousafzai

Malala Yousafzai’s oil painting portrait will be on display during my Inspirational Women solo exhibition at the Huston Gallery at the Chester County Art Association in West Chester, PA, November 11 - 30, 2021. Opening reception: November 11, 2021, from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m.