00:01It's such a joy to speak to you today, to young women around the world who aren't just poised to
00:06change the world, but who have already begun changing the world.
00:11Last month, I had a chance to speak to the 2020 class at my high school alma mater, which is
00:16an all-girls school in Los Angeles.
00:18And I said that they shouldn't see their graduation as an ending, but rather as a beginning.
00:23The beginning of a journey where they can now harness their work, their values and the skills, all the skills
00:29that they've learned, to rebuild the world around them.
00:33Now many of you have already spent years embodying and yes, even enacting the change you'd like to see in
00:40the world.
00:41Yet the opportunity that lies ahead for you is the same one that those graduates and millions of young women
00:47around the world have as well.
00:50I want to share something with you.
00:54It's that those in the halls and corridors and places of power, from lawmakers, to world leaders, to executives, all
01:04of those people, they depend on you more than you will ever depend on them.
01:08And here's they know this. They know that all of you at a younger age than any modern comparison are
01:16setting the tone for an equitable humanity, not figuratively, literally.
01:20This is a humanity that desperately needs you. To push it, to push us forcefully in a more inclusive, more
01:30just and more empathetic direction.
01:32And to not only frame the debate, but to be in charge of the debate.
01:36On racial justice, on gender, climate change, mental health and wellbeing, on civic engagement, on public service, on so much
01:44more.
01:45That's the work that you are already out there doing.
01:48Girls Up members are organizing Black Lives Matter protests around the world.
01:53You're creating films. You're creating films to encourage your peers to become activist leaders.
01:58You are reforming the criminal justice system. We need more mental health resources for all ages.
02:05You're leading coalitions to end gun violence. You are standing up and demanding to be heard.
02:11Yes, but you are also demanding to own the conversation.
02:18Another thing about those lawmakers and leaders and executives I mentioned earlier.
02:24Now, many of them, better or worse, they don't listen until they have to.
02:30Because the status quo is easy to excuse and it's hard to break.
02:35But it will pull tightest right before snapping.
02:41Women have always historically gotten a lot of, well, that isn't how it's done.
02:44Or, yeah, that's an idea, but you know what, we're going to do this instead.
02:48But when do we hear that as women?
02:50We hear that in the moments that we challenge the norms.
02:55So if that's the case, I say to you, keep challenging.
02:59Keep pushing.
03:01Make them a little uncomfortable.
03:02Because it's only in that discomfort that we actually create the conditions to reimagine our standards, our policies, and our
03:09leadership.
03:10To move towards real representation and meaningful influence over the structures of decision-making and power.
03:18Despite what some might say, this re-imagining, it's not a zero-sum game where one side wins and one
03:24side loses. Not at all.
03:26It is mutually beneficial and better for everyone.
03:32Because of that, that path to get us there will take all of us.
03:37It will take girls and women. It will take men and boys.
03:40It will take those that are black and those that are white, collectively tackling the inequities and structural problems that
03:47we know exist.
03:50I believe we are on the precipice of transformation.
03:54We can accelerate the pace of change.
03:56And you know what? We don't have to be satisfied with the current speed of progress.
04:01What's more, I think that it's really important to acknowledge the paradox of how this progress is both aided and
04:07impaired by our digital space.
04:11Your generation is often referred to as the digital natives.
04:15And you understand that our online world has the power to affirm and support as much as it does to
04:22harm.
04:23But we're not meant to be breaking each other down. We are meant to be building each other up.
04:28So use your voices both on and offline to do just that. Build each other up. Support each other.
04:35There will always be negative voices. And sometimes those voices can appear to be outsized.
04:41And sometimes they can appear to be painfully loud.
04:44But you can and will use your own voice to drown out that noise.
04:49Because that's what it is. It is just noise.
04:52But your voices are those of truth and hope. And your voices can and should be much louder.
05:00I know that you've already done many people's lives better.
05:03The moment we're living through right now asks all of us to do more.
05:06It's a moment where your voices and your action have never been more urgently needed.
05:11And we can take inspiration from women like Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, who brought New Zealand together to swiftly and
05:18boldly tackle COVID-19.
05:20Or there's Maya Moore, the WNBA star, who sat out for professional basketball since 2019 to free a man who
05:30served 20 years in prison for a crime he did not commit.
05:33And those are just two examples. As you well know, there are so many others.
05:40Believing in true equality is not enough.
05:44It's going to take more than belief. We have to work for it every day.
05:46Even when it's hard. Even when it makes others feel uneasy.
05:50We have to speak up for ourselves and we have to speak out for others who struggle to be heard.
05:56Like them, I know all of you will use your voices courageously.
06:01And I also know that all of you will use your voices compassionately.
06:07Now, compassion doesn't mean we shouldn't feel outraged when we see blatant injustice all around us.
06:11And of course we should.
06:13But I challenge you to broaden that feeling.
06:17The Dalai Lama famously said,
06:19Compassion is the radicalism of our time.
06:23Compassion means seeing the pain and suffering of others.
06:26And knowing that it's our duty to try to help relieve it.
06:31Continue to believe in yourselves.
06:34Believe in what makes you unique.
06:36And don't be afraid to do what you know is right.
06:39Even when it's not popular.
06:42Even when it's never been done before.
06:44Even if it scares people.
06:46And even if it scares you a little.
06:50Now, under normal circumstances, we would come together in person for this.
06:54And I wish we could.
06:55Yet, there's something interesting about each of you being in your own community right now.
07:01Because our communities are drawing board for change.
07:05They're where your values and beliefs can be manifested and molded into something tangible.
07:11Look, sometimes it's not obvious what to do.
07:16And often it's fear that paralyzes us and stops us from being brave and being bold.
07:22But don't underestimate that you have some of those answers within you.
07:27Don't underestimate your ability to push through the fear.
07:32You have rooted in your convictions the ability to craft a world that you know is just in kind.
07:39And your gut will tell you what's right and what's wrong.
07:41What's fair and what's unfair.
07:44The hardest part, and it was the hardest part for me, is to chase your convictions with action.
07:53You look at the breadth of the issues we're facing right now.
07:56It is easy to get overwhelmed.
07:59I understand.
08:00So be where you are.
08:02The growth and the change that you're pursuing might not feel like anything day to day.
08:07But when you look back, I promise, you will see that it all adds up.
08:14We make better communities and a better world for ourselves, step by step.
08:19And the pace of those steps is getting quicker.
08:23It's in looking at the algorithm, looking at the big picture, that you can see how far we've progressed.
08:30I am extraordinarily proud of what you've already accomplished.
08:36Please continue to honor the conviction and compassion that's awoken within you.
08:42I will be cheering you on, so will my husband, so will Archie, as you all continue marching, advocating, and
08:51leading the way forward.
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