In 2014, Najat Vallaud-Belkacem became the first women, and the youngest person ever, to hold the position of Minister for Education, Higher Education, and Research.
The achievement marked the culmination of a long journey that had started 36 years prior in an isolated farmhouse set amongst the Moroccan countryside.
Vallaud-Belkacem’s earliest memories are of her tending to her grandfather’s goats, and trekking to a nearby well with her older sister, Fatiha, to gather water for her family. It was a simple life, but as perfect as could be for one who knew little of the world beyond. That all changed when Vallaud-Belkacem turned four, and her father uprooted the family to relocate to the town of Amiens, about 100 minutes out of Paris. Working for Renault, he thrived, but the rest of the family found it difficult to acclimate to the alien lifestyle they had been thrust into. Vallaud-Belkacem herself didn’t speak a word of French, and the bustle of city life was daunting, to say the least.
As the girls grew up, their father’s traditional values kept them from exploring the world in the same way that their peers did. Instead, they spent most of their time studying, or reading stories from the mobile library that arrived on their block every week.
By the end of her first year in school, Vallaud-Belkacem was a proficient speaker, reader, and writer of French. She excelled throughout her schooling, and became fiercely independent as her family expanded to include five more siblings – three sisters, and two brothers.
Vallaud-Belkacem received her French citizenship shortly before enrolling in law at the local university. It was there that she heard Sciences Po – The Paris Institute of Political Studies – were advertising for graduate students to apply. Her teacher tried to tell Vallaud-Belkacem that she wasn’t capable of getting into the prestigious school, but she refused to accept the negativity. She took the entrance exam, and passed.
Over the following years, Vallaud-Belkacem worked two jobs while completing her master’s degree in public administration.
It was in 2002 that Vallaud-Belkacem first turned her attention to politics. Jean-Marie Le Pen, a controversial extremist in the French political theatre, was gaining traction in his campaign to become president. Known as the ‘Devil of the Republic’, Vallaud-Belkacem felt that if France was to remain great, she must do her part in protecting the country she loved.
She joined the Socialist Party, finding her first job the following year on the team of Lyon mayor, Gérard Collomb. Over the next two years, the team fought against discrimination, and worked to provide equal opportunity for work and housing for their constituents.
In 2004, Vallaud-Belkacem was elected to the Regional Council of Rhone-Alpes. She chaired the Cultural Commission until her resignation in 2008.
Vallaud-Belkacem’s endeavours raised attention within the party. resulting in her becoming a Socialist Party adviser as of 2005.
She joined Ségolène Royal’s presidential campaign as a spokesperson in 2007, before becoming conseillère générale during the 2008 council elections.
2012 marked one of the most important points in Vallaud-Belkacem’s career. On May 15, François Hollande was named President. The following day, he appointed Vallaud-Belkacem as the Minister for Women’s Rights.
During the campaign, Hollande’s opposition had positioned Vallaud-Belkacem’s dual nationality as a threat to public good. Racist and sexist rants were levelled against her in the press, and on social media. She stayed strong in the face of adversity, and as soon as Hollande won the election, Vallaud-Belkacem was lauded as the face of the new government.
As a (non-practicing) Muslim, and a working mother, Vallaud-Belkacem was acutely aware of her position as a champion for several minority groups, but worked with intent to make France better for all.
“It’s true that some people often tell me that I should promote my origins and express myself in this way, but I’m the education minister for the whole of France. If I want to convey the republic’s values to children—namely, liberté, égalité, et fraternité—I have to embody this ideal which says that what you become has nothing to do with the colour of your skin,” she told Vogue.
She advocated for the censorship of hate speech on Facebook and Twitter, and pushed through laws designed to promote gender equality by reducing salary discrepancies between men and women, and restructuring the nation’s ineffectually broad sexual harassment laws to support victims.
But attacks on Vallaud-Belkacem only intensified as a cabinet reshuffle saw her promoted to Minister for Education, Higher Education, and Research, one of the most influential positions in the government.
A forged letter was circulated online, in which Vallaud-Belkacem was portrayed supporting the teaching of Arabic in classrooms. Teacher and essayist Jean-Paul Brighelli claimed that she wore distinctly feminine clothing as a “smokescreen” to avoid answering questions in the National Assembly. Others implied that she only got the role because Hollande wanted to appear more progressive.
Through it all, Vallaud-Belkacem endures. She assisted in the creation of an experimental program designed to combat genre stereotypes in primary schools, amongst other endeavours through which she hopes to see France become a global leader of equality and understanding.
Vallaud-Belkacem’s career is still in its infancy, but the change she has helped create is palpable. Similarly, she may not see herself as a hero of France’s minorities, however it is clear how important her role is in a climate of fear, misinformation, and misunderstanding.
Najat Vallaud-Belkacem’s story is inspirational, and we can’t wait to see how it continues.