7 of the most inspiring speeches given by famous women
On the occasion of International Women’s Day, take a look at women who offered their advice on some of the most important parts of our lives, empowering and inspiring not just women, but everyone.
Here are the most memorable and moving speeches given by strong, brave women of our times.
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie is a writer and author of powerful books like Purple Hibiscus and Half of a Yellow Sun. But Adichie is as talented a speaker as she is a writer. In 2012, she gave the TEDx talk ‘We should all be feminists’, parts of which were later sampled by Beyoncé in her 2013 song, ‘Flawless.’
Viola Davis made history in September as the first ever black woman to win Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series at the 67th Emmy Awards. During her acceptance speech, she shared an important reminder about the distinction between talent and opportunity, and issued a rallying cry for greater diversity in Hollywood.
Raising awareness of her Let Girls Learn initiative, Michelle Obama offered powerful advice on education, when she visited the Mulberry School for girls in Tower Hamlets in London and shared an insight into her own experience as a black woman growing up in a working class neighbourhood and pursuing her dreams of university.
As a UN Women Goodwill Ambassador, not only does Emma Watson appeal across the board to both men and women, she acknowledges the social injustices and calls upon everyone to help.
17-year-old Malala gave an incredible speech as she accepted her Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo, Norway on Wednesday after becoming an icon of the fight for children’s education rights. She became the youngest Nobel Peace Prize laureate in history, and her speech shows her spectacular wisdom.
At the UN Beijing Conference of 1995, the then First Lady Hillary Clinton gave a powerful speech on gender inequality worldwide and indigenous women’s rights in particular. Throughout her career, has used her influence to raise this issue in the corridors of power.
Actress Ellen Page gave a speech at the Human Rights Campaign Time to Thrive campaign, which works for LGBT equal rights. She also decided that this was the time to announce to the world that she was gay. A brave feat.
