Personal Narrative: My Pursuit Of Social Justice

Malala Yousafzai once stated, “I raise up my voice–not so that I can shout, but so those without a voice can be heard.” This philosophy is one that I have always modelled my life after. However, it was not until my freshman year of high school that I truly began affiliating myself with the causes of human rights and social justice. It may sound a bit absurd, but the most prominent force that caused me to become more concerned with the pursuit of justice has been the internet. Due to its vast amounts of information, I am now an active feminist and an all around supporter of human rights. I constantly seek to further my awareness on such issues, taking care to learn and expand on my knowledge of the inequities of the world. Once I opened

The education I received from internet activists far exceeded the human rights units we covered in school. I now follow in the footsteps of those who initially opened my mind to social justice by using my own internet presence to do the same. I figure that if a few average people circulating information on world issues could affect me so deeply, I could create the same change in others. Simply speaking about human rights is incredibly crucial So during my sophomore year of high school I initiated a collaborative website dedicated to inclusive feminism. On the site itself, I described the mission as, “...a safe space on the web where anyone can freely express and share their ideas without worrying about criticism or judgement... there needs to be a less intimidating online community that is intersectional, non-exclusive, and easily accessible.” Months of planning ensued in order to achieve this goal. Dozens of girls and trans individuals from diverse backgrounds and locations from all around the world joined to contribute material to the site. The site handled subjects such as racism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia, ableism, and economic issues. The website’s content was viewed regularly and gained moderate popularity, but eventually the site was laid to rest. Despite this, I still continue to discuss such issues on my personal social media

Even Nelson Mandela has argued, “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” I am inclined to agree with him, hence why literacy is such an important concept to me. However, it seemed impossible to me that one teenage girl with limited economic resources of her own could influence the United States’ education flaws such as underfunded public schools and over priced college tuition. But then, one day I discovered the Little Free Library Organization through a teacher. Instantly I knew that I needed to start a branch in my neighborhood. The objective of the organization is to set up a community book exchange box to encourage literacy for both children and adults. My online activist friends donated money in order for me to purchase a charter number and materials to officially begin a library. The library has been open for more than four months now and the community involvement has proven to be great. The library shelves have never been empty due to continuous donations, and children’s books more faster than any other genre. Whenever I check on the library and observe that books have been borrowed or returned I feel like I am actually making a difference in the