First Lady Jill Biden delivered a powerful speech at the Ennakhil Association in Marrakech, Morocco, where she spoke about the importance of women’s empowerment and the need for women to come together to create a better world. Biden praised the work of the Ennakhil Association and its founder, Zakia, for their efforts to empower women and strengthen women’s and disability rights in Morocco.
Biden emphasized the importance of women’s voices and the struggles that women have faced in being heard. She spoke about the violence, hate, discrimination, and isolation that women have faced, but also noted that women have never been silent. Biden said that when women come together to mentor, heal, and tell their stories, they can rewrite the narratives of injustice and inequality.
Biden also highlighted the economic and social benefits of empowering women. When women earn money, they invest it in their families, create jobs, and help others find success. When women have the ability to participate fully in society, they create more peaceful, stable places to live. Biden noted that the United States understands the importance of empowering women and that it stands with women throughout the world.
Biden praised the longstanding partnership and friendship between the United States and Morocco and the efforts of King Mohammed the Sixth to empower women and youth. She also spoke about her meeting with Princess Lalla Hasna, who shared her work to educate children and young people about the importance of protecting the climate. Biden expressed her excitement to take Princess Lalla Hasna’s story back to the United States and to look for more opportunities to learn from each other.
Biden ended her speech by quoting peace activist Latifa Ibn Ziaten, who said, “Dream about something beautiful…and when you pray, pray a prayer of peace; a prayer of love.” Biden encouraged the audience to come together as partners to work against injustice, repair what’s broken, and build something new. She called for women to be the arms of welcome, the hands of kindness, and to stand shoulder to shoulder and lift each other when they fall.
