The Journalist

Once there was a girl from Mandalay named Amar. She was known for her stubbornness. Amar got her stubbornness from her family. She grew up beside strong women who worked hard. Her grandmother and later her mother owned a tobacco factory. It was very unusual for women to own businesses in that time.

Like the other women in her family, Amar liked to push boundaries.When she was 10 years old, she enjoyed jumping onto the backs of moving horse carts.When the driver waved his whip at her, little Amar laughed.

Amar was born a fighter, and she grew up to fight for democracy.Her weapon was her pen. She translated important books, and wrote news articles, short stories, and books about people’s lives, called biographies. She fought for democracy and workers’ and women’s rights.

Amar and her husband Hla, another journalist, worked hard and fought together for independence. They started a newspaper, Ludu Thadin-sa, which became popular because it was smart and unafraid to speak the truth. People began to call the couple Ludu Daw Amar and Ludu U Hla. In 1962,a military general named Ne Win seized power through a coup and took over the country. Ludu Daw Amar and Ludu U Hla bravely led the opposition.The military regime harassed and imprisoned them again and again, but they never stopped.

When her husband died, Ludu Daw Amar did not stop.She continued to write until she was 90 years old. Throughout her life, the authorities tried to stop her from writing the truth. But Ludu Daw Amar persisted.

Use these prompts to write your own story on a piece of paper. When are you happiest?What do you love doing? Life can be tough sometimes.Describe a tough moment in your life that you overcame.Tell a story of you future. What do you dream of doing?

Draw your portrait.