“Everyone’s voices need to be raised at this time,” declared Hillary Clinton when delivering the Arthur Miller Freedom to Write Lecture last weekend at the 14th annual PEN World Voices Festival, an organization committed to protecting human rights and open expression in the U.S. and worldwide.

In her compelling speech, which was followed by a conversation with celebrated Nigerian-born novelist and non-fiction writer Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Clinton addressed such important issues as the right to free speech (and the current ongoing attacks on that freedom), the challenges women in positions of authority face, why she’s not going to be silent, and why we shouldn’t either.

Clinton commended writers and journalists for the meaningful work they do, saying they “shine a light on the human condition, help us understand more about the world around us, challenge us to understand views and experiences different from our own, and remind us of the importance of evidence-based facts.”

 

She also illuminated the fact that in America right now, “press rights, journalism and free speech are under open assault,” in what she called “the most perilous position I’ve seen in my lifetime.” She went on to say, “According to Freedom House, an organization dedicated to protecting free speech and human rights around the world, 2016 was the lowest point for global press freedom in over a decade, and 2017 was one of the most dangerous years on record to be a journalist.” 

In these uncertain times where freedom of speech and a free press are being challenged (our current president has even called the media “the enemy of the American people”), and more and more awareness is being drawn to the harassment and inequities women (and other marginalized groups) face in all sectors of society, Clinton stressed that protecting these rights is more crucial now than ever and that we must all push to make sure we have “an open, inclusive, diverse society.”

 

She then issued a broader call to action to all Americans, and especially women, to use our voices. “It can’t only be journalists who stand up and speak out,” she said. “We can all do more…. We have to find our voice, in whatever way we feel most comfortable, to speak out.”

Adichie asked Clinton about “the connection between free speech and feminism,” noting, “Often the response you get is one of silencing, where constantly people have said since the election that you need to be quiet, you need to go away — and I’m talking about people on the right and the left. I can’t help but read that as a feminist issue. I want you to talk if you could about that decision not to be silent.”

Clinton responded, “Well, to the best of my memory, no man who ever lost a presidential election was told to shut up and go away. And I’m very glad they weren’t, because each had points of view and experiences that were worth hearing about.”

She continued, “There is this long, long history of trying to silence women.” She referenced therecent examples of Senator Elizabeth Warren being ordered off the Senate floor by Mitch McConnell for reading a letter from Coretta Scott King at a Jeff Sessions debate, as well as Senator Kamala Harris being cut off by her male colleagues when she was cross-examining Sessions in a committee hearing.

“This is not about one woman and one election,” Clinton emphasized. “This remains a very serious challenge to women speaking out, speaking up, trying to or already assuming positions of power and influence. When I hear that, I hear the echoes going back thousands of years and I hear the unfortunate belief that people still have that women’s voices are not particularly appealing, that women’s words are not particularly important.”

She added, “There are a lot of people, particularly when it comes to women —whether it’s the corporate world or academic or professional or political — who really still have trouble accepting a woman in authority, therefore they are always looking for ways to denigrate and knock her off her own track. So I wouldn’t be a good example if I gave up and went off into the woods forever. I’ve got a lot of feelings about what’s happening and I’m going to keep talking.”

And that is exactly what Clinton is urging others to do as well with the following advice: “I always say, ‘Stick to your own truth, stick to your own path, and don’t let people knock you off of it.’”

Adichie then questioned Clinton about why the first word she uses to describe herself in her Twitter bio is “wife,” when she could have used so many other esteemed titles from her political career (and noting that the first word in her husband’s Twitter bio is not “husband”). After first stating, “Well, when you put it like that, I am going to change it,” Clinton got thoughtful and shared her thoughts on the many dimensions of a woman’s identity and the challenges women face as they try to balance their personal and professional life:

“It shouldn’t be either/or. It should be that if you are someone who is defining yourself by what you do and what you accomplish, and that is satisfying, then more power to you. That is how you should be thinking about your life, and living it. If you are someone who primarily defines your life in relationship to others, then more power to you. But I think most of us as women in today’s world end up in the middle: wanting to have relationships, wanting to invest in them, nurture them, but also pursuing our own interests.”

Clinton referenced a milestone which had just happened the previous week, of the first female senator bringing her baby to the senate floor. “I loved the picture of Senator Tammy Duckworth coming onto the floor of the senate with her little baby in her jacket. To me, that sort of summed it all up. She is both: she’s a mom, she’s a senator, she’s a combat veteran. She is somebody who is trying to integrate all of the various aspects of her life. And that’s what I’ve tried to do for a very long time, and it’s not easy. But it is something that I’ve chosen to do, and I’m going to keep doing it.”

There were many takeaways from Secretary Clinton’s remarks that impact women in leadership positions and public life, as well as a call to action to use our voices to speak out and fight for a society that is diverse, inclusive, and free. As she said in her speech, “Do not be intimidated or bullied into not speaking. Do not grow weary. Be sustained by the energy the truth can give you.”

You can watch the livestream of this event at this link.