Nine months after she was shot in the head by the Taliban on her way to school, Pakistani high schooler Malala Yousafzai celebrated her 16th birthday by addressing the United Nations on Friday. Malala Day was created by the U.N. to honor Yousafzai’s advocacy for girl’s education.
“Dear brothers and sisters, we must not forget that millions of people are suffering from poverty, injustice and ignorance. We must not forget that millions of children are out of schools. We must not forget that our sisters and brothers are waiting for a bright peaceful future,” she told the Assembly.
Several celebrities tweeted birthday messages to Malala during her remarks. We’ve compiled our favorites below.
Ahead of her UN speech we celebrated Malala's 16th birthday w/ a cake made of chocolate books! pic.twitter.com/j7gS2mlOmt
— Tina Brown (@TinaBrownLM) July 12, 2013
Happy Birthday #Malala! Looking forward to hearing about your speech today at the @UN #YouthAssembly! http://t.co/bKgZ39ydXC
— Chelsea Clinton (@ChelseaClinton) July 12, 2013
Malala today at the UN: “Nothing changed in my life except this-weakness, fear and hopelessness died.” Extraordinary young woman. #MalalaDay
— Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) July 12, 2013
https://twitter.com/MiaFarrow/status/355676776929824769
https://twitter.com/RonanFarrow/status/355700695061643266
Happy Birthday Malala! You never cease to amaze and inspire me. http://t.co/blcLUkHm7n
— Freida Pinto (@BecauseImFreida) July 12, 2013
https://twitter.com/sharmeenochinoy/status/355751236735205376
Standing ovation for #Malala at the UN. #Proud of this brave young #Pakistani woman. May she inspire thousands more to lead.
— SenatorSherryRehman (@sherryrehman) July 12, 2013
"One child, one teacher, one book, and one pen can change the world."— Malala Yousafzai, my hero. http://t.co/4ftoVBxGk7
— Aisha Tyler (@aishatyler) July 13, 2013
Speaking @UN today #Malala reminded us of the true definition of courage and the power of education. Happy birthday! #MalalaDay
— Valerie Jarrett (@vj44) July 12, 2013
