By Charles Pan’18, News Writer

On Friday, February 7^th, humanitarian Zainab Salbi came to Newark Academy to talk about women’s rights for Social Justice day of Revolutions Week. The week was full of fundraisers to help raise awareness and funds for specific causes, varying from medicine to the environment. Begun by the Student Council this year, the week chiefly aimed to revolutionize the way that students thought about raising awareness, getting involved, and making a difference. And on Friday, Salbi did just that.

Zainab Salbi is an Iraqi-American humanitarian, entrepreneur, author, and media commentator. At 23, she founded Women for Women International, an organization that helps women survivors of wars rebuild their lives. She is also the author of: Between Two Worlds: Escape from Tyranny; Growing Up in the Shadow of Saddam; The Other Side of War: Women’s Stories of Survival and Hope; and If You Knew Me, You Would Care. The World Economic Forum recognized her as a Young Global Leader in 2007 and she has appeared on CNN, MSNBC, The New York Times, The Guardian, and the Oprah Winfrey Show.

During her presentation to the Newark Academy student body, Salbi focused on encouraging greater participation in social justice issues. She outlined her struggles as an early immigrant in the United States, and then focused on how she was inspired to start Women for Women International after learning about the lives of women in Yugoslavia. The community was inspired by her experiences and character of adversity, which she professed so eloquently throughout: “Everything can be taken from you in a second, but the human spirit is so strong. War can teach you so much about evil and so much about good.” Her presentation culminated in a passionate and moving exclamation that her successes as a disadvantaged immigrant proved that Newark Academy students could do the same, if not better.

Students reacted enthusiastically to the presentation, with some calling it the best global speaker of the year. Adina Gitomer ’15, leader of Human Rights Club and an important organizer of Social Justice Day on Revolution Week, believed that, “her presentation was really important for Newark Academy (and for anyone). Salbi talked about the oppression and neglect of women worldwide specifically because it is an issue that often goes unsaid, and that’s really powerful in itself.” Gitomer continued to say that “part of philanthropy is raising money and using certain skills to accomplish a set goal, but another, perhaps more important part, is the human element. Someone in need shouldn’t feel like they’re being pitied or that they’re inferior– it takes away from the whole experience.”

The presentation was also powerful for students with little experience with social issues as well. Freshmen Dean Tan ’18 stated that “her message was very moving and I thought that she definitely had a statement of what she wanted to say. Not only did she present, but she also tried to advocate for her cause unlike previous global speakers. He also agreed on another one of Salbi’s key points, the idea of being humble while helping others. “There’s no point in trying to help others if you just think you’re better than them. You have to help them on the same level as them.”

In sum, Zainab Salbi has played a key role in not only Social Justice Day at Newark Academy but also in Revolutions Week as a whole. She encouraged many students to take action in their causes, whether it was women’s rights or another passion, because she believed that every single person has the ability to do so, and the students ,on the whole, appeared to agree with her.