I recently went down to Washington D.C. in December to attend my friend’s graduation from George Mason University. The guest speaker for her commencement was Zainab Salbi. Her name was unfamiliar to me, but after her speech I was in complete awe. I have never heard such an eloquent, captivating and inspiring speaker before in my entire life.
Zainab Salbi attended George Mason University for her undergraduate career. At just the young age of 23, she started Women for Women International. Her goal was to help women survivors of war, just like herself. Women for Women International is currently focused on Iraq, Afghanistan, South Sudan and many other countries.
Zainab is recognized in the media in many ways. In 2010, Zainab spoke at a TED Talk to share her story about growing up in Iraq in the midst of war, tragedy and terror. In addition to her TED Talk, Zainab even met with Oprah in 2015 to discuss her work and her life. She was also named one of the “25 Women Changing the World” by People Magazine. Zainab has accomplished many amazing achievements that are positively impacting women and the communities they live in.
Reflecting on her life and experiences, Salbi wrote many bestsellers, and I am overly excited to read all of them. Her most recent book was published in 2018 called, “Freedom is an Inside Job: Owning Our Darkness and Our Light to Heal Ourselves and the World”. She has also written “Between Two Worlds: Escape From Tyranny Growing Up in the Shadow of Saddam”.
After hearing Zainab Salbi speak, I instantly felt a connection to her, eager to learn more about her, get involved, and read about her life and experiences. I have not yet read her books, but I have explored her organization and watched all of the videos I could about her on YouTube and her own website. Zainab Salbi is not only a great speaker, but a humanitarian, feminist, and overall kind person everyone should know more about!