Amal Clooney stressed during her speech in Vanderbilt College, Tennessee on Thursday that "courage" is needed now "more than ever," with gender equality, LGBTQ and even media all needing support.
"At a time when women all over the world face physical abuse, restrictions over their ability to work, own property, travel and even have custody over their children, we need courage," she told the graduates who warmly applauded her.
"At a time when more journalists are imprisoned around the world ... we need courage," she declared.
The distinguished lawyer, who herself hails from Tennessee, declared the need for young people with the courage to say, ‘This is our world now, and there are going to be some changes,’"
She told the 2018 graduates of the university to, "Be courageous. Challenge orthodoxy. Stand up for what you believe in."
"When you are in your rocking chair talking to your grandchildren many years from now, be sure you have a good story to tell," she added.
"My advice isn’t that you have to be Gandhi or Mandela or Martin Luther King or that you should be a human rights activist ... There will be moments in your life where two roads diverge in the wood, and when that happens, be courageous."
