Hillary
Clinton is a symbol of strength for women across the world. It was she
who famously said, “Women’s rights are human rights.” She not only spoke
those words, but also dedicated her life to empowering women around the
world through politics and philanthropy. She has been a source of
strength for many women leaders, including myself, my family and those
who stood by me after I was attacked. “Continue your mission, be strong,
we believe in you” is what she said to me, my father and the rest of
the Malala Fund team when we met her last year at the Clinton Global
Initiative awards. Her life and leadership show women what we can
achieve if we believe in our own strength and if we channel our inner
creativity, compassion and determination. A world with more women
leaders will be a better world, and Hillary Clinton is helping make that
possible. Yousafzai is a Pakistani activist who defied the Taliban to attend school and is a co-founder of the Malala Fund
I
met Jason Collins when we were freshmen at Stanford. Not surprisingly,
the first thing I noticed was his height. The second thing I noticed was
his kindness off the court — and his fierceness on it. Kindness to his
friends, his family and fans. Fierceness in his drive to win. Jason has
always been focused on others, on what’s right for those he loves, and
on helping those whose jersey is the same as his.
When Jason called to talk about his forthcoming Sports Illustrated
cover story, “The Gay Athlete,” I realized at some point that I wasn’t
surprised we were having the conversation we were. Not because I knew
what we were going to talk about when I answered the phone. Rather,
because it made eminent sense that it would be Jason becoming the first
openly gay, still active pro athlete in a major U.S. sports league.
Jason’s kindness and fierceness alike derive from that word too often bandied about and too rarely true: integrity.
Jason has always maintained he’s first a basketball player. He is. But
he’s also a leader and an inspiration. For Michael Sam, Derrick Gordon
and others whose names we may never know. And also for those of us lucky
enough to be fans — or to call him our friend.
The Secretary of State visiting Riyadh in January to discuss the conflict in Syria.Brendan Smialowski—The New York Times/Redux
The relentless negotiator
Diplomacy
is in John Kerry’s blood. As the son of a foreign-service officer, he
grew up understanding that America’s destiny is entwined with that of
the wider world.
Diplomacy takes stamina, passion and perspective,
and John embodies these traits. He is relentless in the face of the
most persistent obstacles — keeping alive the dream of peace in the
Middle East, standing up to Russia’s ongoing aggression in Ukraine,
negotiating the removal of chemical weapons from Syria and signing an
interim nuclear deal with Iran. And his work on climate change
exemplifies these qualities. Addressing the dangers posed by global
warming has long been a personal commitment for him. I know from
experience just how hard this is. There’s nobody better suited to carry
the cause forward than John Kerry. The people of the United States can
be proud he’s representing America and its interests abroad. I know I
am. Clinton served as the 67th U.S. Secretary of State
