First lady Jill Biden says nearly two dozen women the State Department honored for their courage made an “intentional decision” to persist and demand justice despite their fear.
The 21 women recognized Monday with the department’s International Women of Courage Award included seven from Afghanistan who are receiving posthumous honors.
The first lady said that the women’s stories make it easy to think of them as “mythical heroes or angels among us” but that they’re also humans who want to enjoy life’s simple pleasures.
“Some of these women have spent their lives fighting for their cause. Others are just starting out on a journey they didn’t ask for,” Biden said.