In today’s day and age, it is easy to focus on the people who are harming the world that we live in. Current media is filled with criticism of today’s culture, political leaders, and arts. While criticism draws attention to people and situations that need to be called out, it has propelled us into a toxic spiral of cancel culture and an unfortunate hopeless feeling. In hopes of glorifying some people who continue to do good despite all the reasons to feel hopeless, here is a list of four women changing the world we live in.
1. Tarana Burke
Image courtesy of Business Insider
I will make no effort to conceal my admiration for the powerhouse that is Tarana Burke, especially since we are less than a week away from her visit to UNCW. Burke, the founder of the Me Too Movement, has been in activism for over 25 years. She has worked for racial equality, gender equality and most prominently sexual violence advocacy. The Me Too movement, despite being founded by Burke in 2006, became a cultural revolution in 2018 when it became a viral hashtag demonstrating how far the epidemic of sexual violence reaches.
2. Mari Copeny
Image courtesy of Amy Poehler’s Smart Girls
Also known as “Little Miss Flint,” Mari Copeny is an 11-year-old living in Flint, Michigan. Since the Flint Water Crisis began in 2015, Mari has dedicated her life to providing clean water to the people of Flint by doing bottled water drives to distribute clean water to the people in her town. Despite the way the media coverage of Flint has decreased in the last five years, Mari Copeny continues to believe in her city as they wait for their water contamination problem to be properly addressed.
3. Gina Rodriguez
Everyone is in love with Jane the Virgin, but everyone should be equally in love with the woman who plays her! Gina Rodriguez is not only an amazing actress, but she has committed herself to promote diversity in the media, particularly Latinx diversity. Since she founded the company, she has signed major deals with broadcasting networks, making strides towards media that is more diverse.
4. Greta Thunberg
Rounding out the list is Greta Thunberg who is a soft-spoken powerhouse behind the push for action against climate change. She is only 16 years old but has dedicated her life to promoting the science that proves the earth’s climate is shifting at an alarming rate. She has been on a school strike to protest law maker’s lack of concern about the next generation inheriting a dying planet. In an interview with CNN, she said, “The symbolism of the school strike is that since you adults don’t give a damn about my future, I won’t either.”