Angelina Jolie is an inspirational, dedicated feminist who advocates for change throughout the world, especially in education.
Her mission in life is to make sure people everywhere, especially women, have equal rights and if they do not, she believes we must work to make it happen. This was revealed during Jolie's interview with John Kerry for Elle magazine to talk about her campaign against rape and sexual violence as weapons in war. Jolie stated that she tells her daughters "what sets you apart is what you are willing to do for others. Anyone can put on a dress and makeup. It’s your mind that will define you. Find out who you are, what you think, and what you stand for. And fight for others to have those same freedoms. A life of service is worth living.”
She advocates this not only to her own daughters, but through her service work in various countries in need. Jolie has been on field missions around the world and helped refugees create a better life for themselves by moving them in more than 20 countries, including Sierra Leone, Tanzania, Cambodia, Pakistan, Thailand, Ecuador, Kosovo, Kenya, Namibia, Sri Lanka, North Caucasus, Jordan, Egypt, New Delhi, Costa Rica, Chad, Syria, and Iraq. Jolie ultimately believes the solution to a broken country is education. If one is educated to become self-sufficient, especially women who face more challenges in society, they will be able to have a stable life. If women get an education at a young age, they will be able to attend college and create a successful career for themselves.
Jolie believes that “[Education] is how you rebuild a country: not with peace agreements and resolutions, but with millions of school report cards, exams passed, qualifications obtained, jobs acquired, and young lives turned to good purpose rather than spent languishing in camps."
When Angelina Jolie heard about Malala Yousafzai's advocacy for girl's education and the Taliban shooting her, she immediately responded. Jolie was inspired how this Pakistani teenager was shot point blank in the head and how it made her stronger. The attempt to silence her made her voice even louder because it caused such a outrage in the world. Jolie decided to donate $200,000 to “Malala’s Fund” for girls’ education in Pakistan. This incredible donation allowed Malala to build a new school in Pakistan would be built for over 40 girls. This act encourages girls to keep advocating for what they believe in because their goals truly can be accomplished.
We do not all have to have millions of dollars and a celebrity platform to encourage female education. However, we can all contribute in our own small way to create equal education opportunities for men and women by tutoring kids at an underprivileged school or fundraising to donate money to schools in underprivileged countries. It can even be as personal as adopting a child from a poor country to change their lives for the better. Jolie has 3 biological children and 3 adopted children. She adopted Maddox Chivan in Cambodia, Pax Thien in Vietnam, and Zahara Marley in Ethiopia. She is able to provide a life for these children that their biological parents could not due to the poor conditions in those countries. She personally makes sure these underprivileged kids get the proper life and education they deserve to be successful adults.
Jolie is also the cofounder of the Education Partnership for Children of Conflict. She pledged to educate more than one million children whose lives have been destroyed by conflict around the world. In total, the various organizations who have committed represent $148 million to this cause. She emphasizes the importance of this because she says even in times of conflict, every child deserves to have an equal chance to education to have the skills to create a better life for themselves, their families, and their country.
Jolie is a perfect example of someone who not only advocates her message, but lives it as well. She shows that women aren't successful just because they are beautiful, but because they are smart. She fights for the change we need in the world and inspires young girls everywhere to do the same. She shows us that women can have a successful professional career and make time to fight for what is just in the world. She also shows how fulfilling it is for women to help other women (and men) achieve the rights they deserve since no one would help them in the past.
-Marisa
Comments