Five women who have paved the way for females globally
When people think of prominent leaders, many different images come to mind. One might think of someone who is confident, intelligent, tech savvy or any other number of commendable qualities. In recent years, women have been taking the stage around the world and are finally getting recognition for their hard work. Our mission here at Mariposa Sisters is to provide a space for each woman to live freely and speak her truth as her most unique, brilliant self without fear, control or shame.
Several women throughout the years have brought necessary attention to international issues that they are passionate about by telling their own stories. Here are five women who have been inspiring us over the past decade.
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Greta Thunberg
“File:Greta Thunberg at the front banner of the FridaysForFuture demonstration Berlin 29–03–2019 09.jpg” by Leonhard Lenz is licensed under CC0 1.0Greta Thunberg is 17 and from Sweden. Greta recognized climate change as a global issue, and she decided to speak out to raise awareness. As a result, she created a global movement known as School Strike for Climate Change. The strike aimed to encourage more world leaders to address issues regarding climate change. She gained the attention of millions of people and prompted young people to make a change in the world. Greta proved that no matter age or gender, anyone can make a difference.
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Serena Williams
“serena 1” by smarch0987 is licensed under CC0 1.0Serena Williams is a world renown tennis player, often referred to as one of the greatest female athletes of all time. She has won countless awards and is a 23 time grand slam winner. Off the court, Serena has also been extensively involved with social advocacy, specifically in the fields of social and racial equality. Through her successful career, Serena has taught us that anything is possible, and she urges women to “dream crazier.”
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Malala Yousafzai
“Education+Malala” by estebanj3 is licensed under CC PDM 1.0Targeted for her activism concerning concerning girls’ education in her native country of Pakistan, Malala Yousafzai survived an assassination attempt by the Taliban. Since then, Malala has raised awareness for women to have the right to education on a global scale. She has published a bestselling book, I Am Malala, and recently graduated Oxford University in England with a degree in Philosophy, Politics and Economics. In addition, due to her groundbreaking activism, she won a Nobel Peace Prize at the age of 20.
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Michelle Obama
“First Lady Michelle Obama” by Charles McCain is licensed under CC PDM 1.0Michelle Obama is widely known as the former First Lady; however, her accomplishments are far more expansive than just that. Educated at Princeton and Harvard, Michelle is a lawyer who was able to overcome the countless obstacles while growing up in the south side of Chicago. Today, she is an inspiration to millions of young girls around the world and has a bestselling book, Becoming. She is also an advocate for many different social issues, such as poverty awareness, food insecurity, and education.
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Ruth Bader Ginsberg
“20190831SM0414.jpg” by Library of Congress Life is licensed under CC0 1.0Ruth Bader Ginsberg is a Justice on the Supreme Court of the United States and also a co-founder of the Women’s Rights Project at the American Civil Liberties Union. As a young female law student in the 1950s, Ruth faced many obstacles surrounding her gender. After many tribulations, she eventually made her way to the Supreme Court, where she became the second female justice of four to be selected to the bench. She has since ruled on several Supreme Court cases that have contributed greatly to advancing social issues, such as Obergefell v. Hodges which granted same sex couples the fundamental right to marry in the U.S.
Now is the time to continue to band together as women and build a network among ourselves. In order to help women thrive, we need to focus on our vision for the future —equality achieved through female empowerment.