This November we wanted to honor Angelina Jolie-Pitt for her efforts to raise awareness for places that are under attack, and unable to do so for themselves. Angelina is most well known as an American actress, filmmaker, director and humanitarian. She has received an Academy Award, two Screen Actors Guild Awards, and three Golden Globe Awards, and has been cited as Hollywood’s highest-paid actress.
In addition to her film career, Jolie is noted for her humanitarian efforts, for which she has received a Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award and an honorary damehood of the Order of St Michael and St George (DCMG), among other honors. She promotes various causes, including conservation, education, and women’s rights, and is most noted for her advocacy on behalf of refugees as a Special Envoy for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). As a public figure, Jolie has been cited as one of the most influential and powerful people in the American entertainment industry, as well as the world’s most beautiful woman, by various media outlets. The that got me is, “with all this fame and power what will she do with it all?” To her she makes it seem simple, give back. Give back time, give back money and in turn give back peace. According to tax records, in 2006 alone, Pitt and Angelina Jolie donated more than $8 million to charity.
WASHINGTON, Nov. 8, 2015 – Human Rights champion and actress Angelina Jolie joined William Hague, British Conservative politician and life peer, to speak before the U.K.’s House of Lords in September.
During her remarks, Jolie spoke out against the global lack of a response to the scourge of the militant group ISIS. She previously has made remarks referencing President Obama’s lack of action in this area.
Jolie told the Houses of Parliament she has been campaigning for Middle Eastern victims of sexual abuse for over a decade and that there is little doubt that the Islamic State group militants use sexual violence as a means to perpetuate terrorism.
Jolie is a special envoy of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and co-founder of the group Preventing Sexual Violence Initiative.
Jolie previously addressed the UN in April 2015 criticizing its “lack of political will” to fight the terrorist group.
Jolie, who has visited the war zones where ISIS’s rape culture terrorism flourishes, spoke about the need to recognize the victims of ISIS violence as victims instead of criminals, and she said that support must be given to them.
In some Islamic cultures the person raped is often treated as being somehow guilty that the attack happened. The victim can be killed, sometimes by stoning, for her “transgression.” “I think the most important thing to understand is what it’s not. It’s not sexual, it is a violent, brutal terrorizing weapon. Unfortunately it is everywhere, in and out of conflict in every country basically. I can’t think of one where there is not this issue.”
She said so-called IS was explicitly saying to its fighters: “‘We ask you to rape.’ They are saying, ‘you should do this, this is the way to build a society’.”
Jolie called for strong leadership to overcome this threat and said Obama’s response to ISIS has been less than effective, bemoaning the failure to bring perpetrators of human rights violations to justice. That failure creates a denial of the victims’ right to justice and redress.
“Wartime rape is a crime that thrives on silence and denial,” said Jolie. “We must send a message around the world that there is no disgrace in being a survivor of sexual violence, that the shame is on the aggressor.” Angelina Jolie Pitt
She said that ISIS is being allowed to build a society based on Sharia Law, which mandates horrific rape, violence against woman and children, men and women, boys and girls. “They are dictating it as policy beyond what we have seen before,” Jolie said. “They are saying, ‘We should do this, this is the right way to build a society, so we tell you to rape.’”
The rule of Islamic militants includes creating a world not focused on growing food or educating children, but rather on kidnapping, enslaving and raping women with the goal to endlessly churn a cycle of terrorism.
According to Jolie, a lack of response by U.S. leadership has allowed these barbaric radical Muslims to thrive. “The most aggressive terrorist group in the world today knows what we know, knows that it is a very effective weapon and they are using it as a centerpoint of their terror and their way of destroying communities and families, and attacking and dehumanizing,” she explained. “For over 10 years, I have been visiting the field and meeting families and survivors of sexual violence who felt for so long that their voices simply didn’t mater, they weren’t heard, and they carried a great shame.”
Jolie called for “a very, very strong response at this time” to stop ISIS.
Two months after her appearance, I see Obama shot into action along with several other countries … their becomes clear to me she helped them be heard.
In addition, Jolie was honored with the prestigious Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award at the Fifth Annual Governor’s Awards. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences bestow the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award to individuals who have made significant humanitarian contributions. The award is named for beloved screen actor and humanitarian Jean Hersholt, who served as president of the Motion Picture Relief Fund for 18 years. Jolie joins an inspiring group of past award recipients including Oprah Winfrey, Paul Newman, and Audrey Hepburn, among dozens of others.
In her acceptance speech, Angelina was sure to credit her mother, who passed away in 2007, as being the person who inspired her to pursue a philanthropic path. She says her mother always taught her to “live a life of use to others,” which for Jolie, comes second to being an artist, although her fame has certainly helped to magnify cases of global injustice and conflict. An artist who continues to pursue her love of film by getting behind the camera to direct, Jolie balances her time between her role as UN Goodwill Ambassador, actress, mother, and philanthropist.
Her personal life being in the Hollywood spot light, is the subject to a lot of publicity. Divorced from actors Jonny Lee Miller and Billy Bob Thornton, she has been married to actor Brad Pitt since 2014. They have six children together, three of whom were adopted internationally. Angelina continues to post sayings of inspiration to help others and inspire greatness and also shares on her Facebook and twitter some inspirational quotes to inspire her fans and followers. I chose to share some of my favorite inspirational quotes by her and a few found on her page that she posted as well. I truly hope you will find them as inspirational as I did and I am sure you will enjoy them too!
“Even at your best, someone will have something negative to say. Pursue greatness anyways!” Tony Gaskins
“Holding onto anger is like drinking poison and expecting the other person to die.” Buddha
“It is not enough to defend our values at home. We have to defend them here, in the camps and in the informal settlements across the Middle East, and in the ruined towns of Iraq and Syria.” Angelina Jolie Pitt
“We have a choice about how we take what happens to us in our life and whether or not we allow it to turn us. We can become consumed by hate and darkness, or we’re able to regain our humanity somehow, or come to terms with things and learn something about ourselves.” Angelina Jolie Pitt
“Without pain, there would be no suffering, without suffering we would never learn from our mistakes. To make it right, pain and suffering is the key to all windows, without it, there is no way of life.” Angelina Jolie Pitt
“Anytime I feel lost, I pull out a map and stare. I stare until I have reminded myself that life is a giant adventure, so much to do, to see.” Angelina Jolie Pitt
“I like someone who is a little crazy but coming from a good place. I think scars are sexy because it means you made a mistake that led to a mess.” Angelina Jolie Pitt
“I’ve been reckless, but I’m not a rebel without a cause.” Angelina Jolie Pitt
“When other little girls wanted to be ballet dancers I kind of wanted to be a vampire.” Angelina Jolie Pitt
“Breast cancer alone kills some 458,000 people each year, according to the World Health Organization, mainly in low- and middle-income countries. It has got to be a priority to ensure that more women can access gene testing and lifesaving preventive treatment, whatever their means and background, wherever they live.” Angelina Jolie Pitt
“I always play women I would date.” Angelina Jolie Pitt
“I met this amazing person, and we realized we had very similar views on how we wanted to live our lives. It’s happened quickly, with so many children. Yesterday, picking up the kids from school, Brad turned around in the car, and there were three of them. He couldn’t stop laughing.” Angelina Jolie Pitt
“I’m looking very much forward to growing older. I want to be an exhausted older woman but with a very full life behind me and one still going.” Angelina Jolie Pitt
“I’ve never lived my life in the opinion of others. I believe I’m a good person. I believe I’m a good mom. But that’s for my kids to decide, not for the world.” Angelina Jolie Pitt
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