NSB Logo Sally Armstrong Sally Armstrong

Sally Armstrong

Speaker

Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Human Rights Activist & Journalist

Sally Armstrong is sometimes called “the war correspondent for the world’s women.” She’s also known as “La Talibanista.” She’s a journalist who covers zones of conflict. Her beat is to find out what happens to women and girls. She’s a passionate speaker, and a great storyteller.

Keynote Speeches

The Power of One: Making Your Voice Count
Who in the World Cares?

The awesome consequences of looking the other way when the community, the corporation, the country is in trouble.

 

Human Rights- Human Wrongs

You know what’s wrong and you know how to right it, so who’s stopping you?

 

Women and Children Last

Studies done by The World Bank say the treatment of women can alter the economy. Now is the hour for action.

Diversity

Diversity

Audience reviews:

  • Our Sally Armstrong fundraising dinner was a smashing success. Sold out crowd of 220 who were totally captivated by this amazing woman and her inspiring message. Nothing but positive feedback. Would have no qualms about hearing her speak again.

    - Board of Directors Member, Ingamo Homes
  • The articulate and passionate stories of your experiences in Rwanda, Somalia, and Afghanistan and the women with whom you came in contact, were at once disturbing, heart rendering and heart warming. You painted touching and realistic pictures that provoked insight and context for the following day that served as a foundation on which all of the subsequent speakers could build.

    - Commission of Graduates of Foreign Nursing Schools
  • She was the absolute perfect speaker for our event. She took the time to research and take in the event and artfully wove together our YMCA Peace Medal recipients and their personal stories with her message. It was the perfect message for our event and the people we were honouring and I so appreciated her time and care she took in preparation for the speech to make it so personal to our community.

    - YMCA Northumberland
  • She was beyond "amazing" in fact. We loved her…What a gifted story-teller and deeply courageous woman!

    - Continuing Education Coordinator, Selkirk College, Castlegar Campus
  • Absolutely fantastic!! Sally captivated our audience. What a gem for Canada.

    - President at HR Executive Decisions

Speaker Biography

Sally speaks to audiences as varied as corporate conventions, not-for-profit fundraisers, women leadership events, and high school students seeking a better understanding of current affairs. An award winning author, journalist and human rights activist she’s a three-time winner of the Amnesty International Canada media award; she holds ten honorary degrees and is a member of the Order of Canada. Armstrong was the first journalist to bring the story of the women of Afghanistan to the world and is relentless when it comes to exposing the abuse of women whether on an American university campus or a village in a war zone.

Michele Landsberg, author of Writing the Revolution describes her this way:  “Striding into Taliban-held Afghanistan with a chador over her six-foot frame, playing high-fives with a traumatized child rape survivor in the Congolese jungle, marching with the defiant grandmothers in Swaziland, she explores the darkest reaches of women’s experience and brings back astonishing news of hope, challenge and change. From Tahrir Square to LA, Armstrong discovers that the sisters are doing it for themselves—and revolutionizing the world.” Michele Landsberg, author of Writing the Revolution

Recent highlights include assignments in Iraq, Kenya  and Afghanistan and a speech at a conference in Oxford, UK as well as an address at Oxford University. Sally won the Dave Greber Award for Social Justice Writing and was promoted to Officer of the Order of Canada. Sally Armstrong and photographer/videographer Peter Bregg won the Amnesty International Canada Media Award for their work in Iraq (this is Sally’s fourth Amnesty International Canada Media Award) and Sally Armstrong and Peter Bregg won the Gold Award for Investigative Journalism at The Canadian Online Publishing Gala for their work about the Yazidis called Resisting Genocide.