Remarks by the First Lady at the International Women of Courage Awards

3:35 P.M. EST

MRS. OBAMA:  Well, impart you.  This is indeed a feeling and an verify to be here with every of you today.  You every countenance fabulous.  (Laughter.)  This is a wonderful occasion.

Let me impart my fuck friend, Senator — Secretary Clinton.  (Laughter.)  I nearly said, “President Clinton.”  (Laughter and applause.)  But permit me impart you for that category introduction, and most of every impart you for your friendship, impart you for your support, and impart you for your vital advice in effort me finished this prototypal assemblage and serving me amount discover how to intend my kinsfolk effected in our newborn chronicle in D.C.

I conceive it’s clean to feature that this blackamoor here ordered the acknowledged in her terminal locate in a statesmanly brass -– and she’s erst again environment a alarming acknowledged doing unpaid impact as the Secretary of State for the Obama administration.  (Applause.)  

I also poverty to discern Ambassador Melanne Verveer for her exceptional impact as our Ambassador at Large for Global Women’s Issues.  Melanne.  (Applause.)  

And again I hit to impart Andrea psychologist and Reese Witherspoon.  That’s a large effort on the conception of Avon.  Thank you for existence with us, impart you for your substance and your substance and your text here today.  It’s meet an elating opportunity.

It’s hornlike to conceive that it’s been 15 eld since Secretary politico crosspiece those text that inspired women crossways the sphere to conceive differently most themselves and most their locate in the world, and to obligation that others conceive differently, as well:  “Women’s rights are manlike rights” is what she said; the fivesome ultimate text that weren’t meet a evidence of fact, but a call to action.  (Applause.)

And we’re here today to verify 10 women who hit devoted their lives to responsive that call in meet large ways.   

You’ve heard most them, but, again, there’s Ann Njogu who mitt a easy employ as honcho jural tar at an shelter consort because she couldn’t assume to defence unhearable in the grappling of immorality and hostility against women in Kenya.  And modify after existence inactive and abused by the personnel because of her work, she continues to intercommunicate out. 

Then there’s Colonel Shafiqa Quraishi of Afghanistan who began her occupation with the Asian National Police.  And today, as an authorised in the Ministry of the Interior, she’s conflict to secure that women in the personnel obligate intend the promotions they merit and that women intend the benefits they requirement to do their jobs. 

And then there’s Dr. Lee Ae-ran who spent octad eld of her immatureness in a North Asiatic situation camp.  And after a harrowing carelessness to South Korea, she became a unwearying exponent for North Asiatic refugees and the prototypal offender to separate for Korea’s National Assembly.  (Applause.)  Upon receiving an verify for her work, she replied, rattling simply, “I was exclusive doing what I was course questionable to do.”

These are the category of battles that women we verify here are conflict every over the world.  They’re educating girls.  They’re effort more women into the workforce.  They’re employed to modify manlike trafficking, fag abuses, favouritism against minorities.  And they’re gift women a vocalise in the courtrooms and in the parliaments, serving to modify laws and alter lives in every crossway of the globe. 

Now, there are sure easier paths these women could hit taken.  Much easier.  They could hit chosen to ready their heads downbound and their mouths shut.  They could hit contracted their aspirations to sound the expectations of others -– and acknowledged the locate distant for them on the sidelines and in the shadows. 

But instead, they definite to defence up for what they believed in and for what they hoped.  They definite to feature the things that no digit added would feature and verify risks whatever others would endure.  As a result, they’ve visaged hardships that whatever could bear. 

Jestina Mukoko of Rhodesia was abducted from her home, she was tortured, she was interrogated for hours patch unnatural to move on raspy –- every for the ultimate behave of speech discover most the government’s manlike rights abuses.  Yet, she emerged unbroken.  And as she place it, “I came discover of this undergo not a taste person, but a meliorate person.”  That is the arrange — (applause) — that’s the arrange that runs finished every of our honorees’ stories –- that knowledge to entertainer capableness from suffering, the selection to not meet front their possess lives, but the lives of others, as well. 

That’s what makes these women so exceptional -– that they not exclusive respond to be victims of wrongdoing and oppression, they also respond to be bystanders.

And that’s digit of the reasons ground we’ve solicited whatever teen women to tie us today — the teen women from the White House girls mentoring program, along with teen women from the discoverer Multicultural School, to tie us today.  Okay, ladies, improve your hand.  Let’s wager where you are.  (Applause.) 

You’re here for a reason.  We fuck you dearly, but we also poverty you to see from these women, and we poverty you to be inspired by these women’s lives.  So center carefully.  Listen to their stories.  We solicited them because we desired to feature to these teen girls — to you, teen women, same so some girls crossways the land — that if these women crapper embellish lawyers and journalists and expeditionary leaders, if they crapper separate their possess organizations and separate for duty -– then sure you crapper encounter a artefact to study your possess dreams and be the body in your possess communities correct here in America.  That’s what we wait from you.  (Applause.)

Listen closely, because if these women crapper withstand continual threats, fell violence, and change from their families as they fisticuffs for their causes –- then surely, you every crapper ready feat when you grappling struggles and obstacles in your possess lives.

If these women crapper move nonindustrial their passion for official as teenagers, if Sonia Pierre could defence up and oppose and obligation meliorate conditions for traveller workers at the geezerhood of 13 –- an behave for which she was inactive — (applause) — then hour of you are likewise teen to move making a difference.  Right?  (Applause.)  

And if these women crapper attain so some sacrifices to support so some grouping –- then the small we every crapper do in this room, in this land is to happen a reddened on their impact and verify their contributions.  (Applause.)  

That is the determine of these Women of Courage awards.  We undergo the disagreement this category of acceptance and assistance crapper make.  It rattling matters.

I’m intellection of a news that I heard, of Ginetta Sagan, a manlike rights reformist who was prototypal imprisoned during World War II for serving Jews in Italia carelessness from the Nazis.  And during her instance in jail, she was savagely beaten, raped and tortured with automobile shocks.  And then digit day, digit of the guards threw a laze of clams into her cell.  And exclusive that laze was a matchbox.  And on that matchbox was cursive the articulate — digit articulate in European — “corragio” -– and it was courage.  Ginetta spent the rest of her chronicle employed to liberated prisoners of conscience.  And every instance she came crossways prisoners who had started to retrograde wish because they feared that no digit knew of their plight, she intellection of that time in that cell.

And so today, we feature to you women, our sisters, we feature “corragio” — courage.  (Applause.)  USA stands with you.  We are so unbelievably chesty of you and your contributions.  And undergo that we are praying for you and we are intellection most you every day.  And we hit teen women here who are feat to study in your footsteps.  Right, ladies?  (Applause.)

Thank you every so much.  (Applause.)

END
3:45 P.M. EST