Two heroines are showcased

On Monday, there were two very different heroines celebrated across the globe.

First of all, the United States Postal Service announced it would be issuing a commemorative stamp honoring the 100th birthday of Rosa Parks. Rosa Parks was an unassuming middle-aged African-American woman in 1955 when she refused to give up her seat on a bus in Montgomery, Ala., to a white man.

She was arrested for violating segregation laws. Her subsequent conviction brought about a boycott of the Montgomery bus system by black leaders that lasted over a year and only ended when the United States Supreme Court ruled that the law was unconstitutional. The yearlong boycott was lead by a young black minister named Martin Luther King Jr.

Rosa Parks thus became a spark in the Civil Rights movement.

The other heroine showcased Monday was Malala Yousoufzai. Malala was only 14 years old last October when she was shot for defying the Taliban by insisting that she and other girls would continue to go to school in Pakistan.

Malala is recovering in England from a gunshot wound that entered her head just above her left eye. In interviews released Monday, she appeared very smart and it looked like she was making an excellent recovery.

She seemed fluent in English and reaffirmed that she would continue to fight for the rights of girls to attend school in Pakistan. She told her interviewers that God has given her a “second life,” thanks to the countless prayers from people around the world.

Two very different people from two very different places. Their common bond is their determination to fight for right.

Rosa and Malala – two shining examples to the world.

* Editorials reflect the opinion of the publisher.