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Malala Yousafzai exhibit opens at The Children's Museum of Indianapolis

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Posted at 11:51 AM, Sep 18, 2021
and last updated 2021-09-18 12:09:43-04

INDIANAPOLIS — The only permanent exhibit in the world to feature Malala Yousafzai’s story and the experiences that shaped her is now open at The Children's Museum of Indianapolis.

Yousafzai is part of the "The Power of Children" exhibit, which opened in 2007. It also features the stories of Anne Frank, Ryan White and Ruby Bridges.

Monica Humphrey, director of exhibits and interactive media, says the exhibits talk about their legacies and the work that has continued.

Yousafzai was shot by the Taliban on her school bus in October 2012. She survived and graduated from the University of Oxford last year. She is also a Nobel Peace Prize winner.

"One of the things that we really acknowledge about this exhibit is it's a lot of heavy content for families, and we want to create a safe place so families can talk about these issues and understand them a little deeper," Humphrey said. "Globally, 160 million girls are deprived of education and her fund, the Malala Fund, seeks to diminish that and we want to be part of spreading that message."

The Museum worked directly with the Yousafzai family and Malala Fund to tell her story. The exhibit features several items, including Malala's family tree, her Nobel Peace Prize diploma and letters and cards she received while in the hospital after being shot.

“I wish that people will see the power of family like Toor Pekai (Malala’s mother) and me and how we grew up in a patriarchal family; but together, we were able to create an egalitarian family—a family that believes in equality,” Ziauddin Yousafzai, Malala's father, said in a news release. “I hope people come here and see this exhibit and see how one family, with great values of equality, justice, love, respect and empathy can change their lives at home and can also change their communities and their countries as well."

To learn more about the exhibit, click here.