Today is Aung San Suu Kyi’s 62nd Birthday, her 11th spent under house arrest by the most brutal regime in Asia today, the Burmese Junta.

Aung San Suu Kyi was the head of the National League for Democracy, the party that won an astounding percentage of the vote in the 1990 Burmese elections. The junta ignored the results and put her under house arrest. She was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize shortly after the elections, and is today the world’s only Nobel laureate under arrest.

So why should you care? Because she embodies so many of the principles of democracy, justice, accountability, and perseverance that we all hold dear.

My favorite Aung San Suu Kyi quote, and one that I think rings especially true in today’s turbulent world: “Please use your liberty to promote ours.”

Some time today, look to the West and give her your thoughts, if only for a moment. Please keep her in your thoughts until she is free!!