Not only did we celebrate International Women’s Day yesterday, but we’ve been honoring women ALL week with our own Women’s Empowerment Week! Though the list is endless, we’ve been featuring some of the amazing women who have empowered us throughout history. If you missed our Instagram posts, here are the incredible women we covered:
Sojourner Truth (1797-1883) was an abolitionist and one of the first women’s rights activists. She made history in 1851 with her speech “Ain’t I a woman?” which demanded the equal treatment of all women and all African Americans. Advocating for women and people of color was challenging enough, but it was even more dangerous because she was a woman of color. After this groundbreaking speech, she continued to fight for the abolition of slavery, women’s rights, and prison reform.
Michelle Obama is a successful lawyer and became the first African-American First Lady of the United States in 2009. Before her time at the White House, Michelle focused on creating projects to help her community such as founding the Chicago chapter of Public Allies and creating the University of Chicago’s first community service program. As First Lady, Michelle continued to help families and children better their lives through her initiatives Let’s Move!, Joining Forces, Reach Higher and Let Girls Learn. The aim of these programs is to end childhood obesity, support America’s military, veterans, and families, inspire young adults to continue their education after high school and help girls around the world get into and stay in school. Getting to live in the White House didn’t change who Michelle was or her values. Instead, it only strengthened her dedication to families, education, and the health of children and we are all better for it.
Harriet Tubman (1822-1913) was an abolitionist, humanitarian, and served as a spy during the US Civil War. She was born a slave in Maryland, and when she was 27 she escaped to Philadelphia. Not wanting to leave her family behind she returned and helped them escape. Tubman did this one group at a time, having made what is predicted to be 13 total trips. She led about 70 slaves to freedom. After this, she served in the Civil War being the first woman to lead an armed expedition, and this freed another 700 slaves. She spent the rest of her life being an active participant in the women’s suffrage movement.
Emma Watson, we all know the beautiful British actress who inspired girls to be strong and smart with her role as Hermione Granger in the Harry Potter series. This amazing strength and intelligence didn’t stop with the character she played as a child/adolescent – she studied at Brown University and Worcester College while acting, modeling and being an activist. She uses her platform to promote education for women around the globe. In 2014 she was appointed as a UN Women Goodwill ambassador, and just a few months later helped launch the UN Women HeForShe campaign, which calls for men and boys to take action against the inequities women and girls must face. She has traveled highlighting the need for women’s political participation in various countries.