It’s no secret that Kerry Washington is a huge advocate for women’s issues; she spoke at the 2012 Democratic National Convention and has had an active role in the global movement to end violence against women and girls. More impressive than her acting talent and activism is perhaps the way she handles her celebrity status and the platform that she is able to create based on her status.  In a 2012 interview with Feministing.com, she clarified that it is not her “responsibility” as a celebrity to speak out on issues plaguing our society, but rather her responsibility as an American citizen and as a woman. 
This differentiation is so important for girls and women to hear, because it reminds them that they do not need to be a celebrity or in a position of power to make a difference.  Washington’s intellectual and practical approach to women’s issues is empowering, and it breaks the negative stigma that is commonly attached to the term “feminism.” In the same 2012 interview with Feministing.com, she responded to a question about her “favorite part of being a feminist” with the following:

 “The term feminist is so inclusive now. There isn’t one way to be a feminist or to practice feminism, to exercise feminism. You can be feminist in lots of different ways because the point is freedom of
choice.  I also want to say that I very much identify with the term womanist, but I don’t think the two are mutually exclusive. I also identify as a humanist. I don’t think that either of those terms are mutually exclusive.”

Washington’s broad take on feminism is even more applicable in today’s society and within the global environment, because women’s issues are taken as human rights issues. Her bottom line of equality and her confidence in what she believes to be right is what makes Washington such a great role model for girls and women. 

Information Source: The Feministing Five, Published June 2 2012 by Feministing.com
http://feministing.com/2012/06/02/the-feministing-five-kerry-washington/

This “Tough Girl Tuesday” we celebrate the life of Muriel Siebert, the first woman to buy a seat on the New York Stock Exchange and longtime advocate of women’s equality on Wall Street, who passed away on August 25, 2013 at the age of 80. Described as a “trailblazer for women on Wall Street,” Siebert not only fought the male-dominated culture of Wall Street, but also was the only woman to hold a seat on the New York Stock Exchange for over a decade (she bought her seat in 1967). Infuriated by the difficulty for women to purchase seats on the Exchange and to engage in the Manhattan social clubs (i.e. the “old boys clubs”), Siebert began to take charge by demanding equal treatment.  This treatment ranged from using the same elevator as men to access a meeting at a certain club, placing a ladies’ restroom in a convenient location, and allowing membership to popular social clubs of the time that were key to business networking.  While she has made incredible strides for women in Wall Street, she consistently claimed that the battle for equality was not over; there was still a long way to go, and women had to keep fighting. 

“Firms are doing what they have to do, legally,” she said. “But women are coming into Wall Street in large numbers — and they still are not making partner and are not getting into the positions that lead to the executive suites. There’s still an old-boy network. You just have to keep fighting.”

In 1969, she founded Muriel Siebert & Company and became the first woman to own a brokerage firm that was a member of the New York Stock Exchange.  Over time, her brokerage donated millions of dollars to help women pursuing careers in business and finance. The company went public in 1996 and changed its name to Siebert Financial Corporation.  These are just some of Siebert’s many
accomplishments and milestones as a woman on Wall Street who would not accept defeat or inequality, and her legacy will continue to inspire women and girls for generations. 

Information source: “Muriel Siebert, a Determined Trailblazer for Women on Wall Street, Dies at 80” The New York Times. Published August 25 2013 http://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/26/business/muriel-siebert-first-woman-to-own-a-seat-on-wall-st-dies-at-80.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0


 

Gloria Steinem – feminist activist, leader, writer, lecturer, and editor – was announced as one of 16 recipients of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, and award established 50 years ago by John F. Kennedy.  The award is the
nation’s highest civilian honor, and fellow Women’s Media Center co-founder Robin Morgan stated that, “…rarely has an honor been more deserved. We celebrate this announcement, and Gloria, and the inherent recognition of feminist activism in the ongoing work for women’s full human rights.” 
Steinem has made incredible waves in the women’s rights movement throughout her career and her work has made a difference in the lives of millions of women throughout the world; a difference that will go down in history alongside the work of other great women, such as Susan B. Anthony and
Elizabeth Cady Stanton. She is a voice to women and people who believe in equality and human rights, which is unfortunately an ongoing battle in the U.S. society and many other nations throughout the world. Steinem remains a constant inspiration to all the “tough girls” out there; the women who believe that they deserve equality and actively pursue their dreams despite the challenges and
hardships they may face along the way. 

“Without leaps of imagination, or dreaming, we
lose excitement of possibilities. Dreaming, after all, is a form of
planning.”  -Gloria Steinem

 Information source: Women’s Media Center. http://www.womensmediacenter.com/press/entry/womens-media-center-congratulates-co-founder-gloria-steinem-on-presidential
 http://www.gloriasteinem.com/who-is-gloria/


 

Gabrielle (Gabby) Douglas won the hearts of millions of Americans when she took home the 2012 Olympic gold medal in both the individual all-around and team competitions.  At only 17 years old, she made Olympic history by becoming the first woman of color of any nationality and the first African-American Olympic gymnast to become the Individual All-Around Champion. She also made American Olympic history by becoming the first gymnast to earn gold medals in both the individual all-around and team competitions at the same Olympic Games.  The Associated Press named her “Female
Athlete of the Year” in December 2012, and it is no question that she was one of the most talked about female athletes this past year. Though her accomplishments are wide-spread and have set the precedence for an amazing career in gymnastics,
it is not just Gabby’s talent that inspires children and adults alike; it is also her personality, positive attitude and perseverance. Her story and journey to the Olympics reminds us that it is possible to
actively pursue our dreams. 
    Gabby was only 14 years old when she made the decision to move to Iowa to train under Liang Chow, the former coach of 2008 Olympic gold medalist Shawn Johnson.  The move was difficult
for her and her family, but in multiple interviews she states that it was the only way that she could receive the type of training that she needed to become an Olympian.  A cross-country move
is no small feat for a 14 year old; especially for one that is leaving her family to stay with a host family in order to pursue her dream of an Olympic gold medal.  It was this first leap
of faith that put Gabby on the path to her many future accomplishments, which eventually led to her historical win at the 2012 Summer Olympics. 
    Since the 2012 Summer Olympics, Gabby has become a positive icon for young girls and adults and is now sponsored by major corporations, such as P&G and Kellogg’s.  Beyond her
positive personality and presence is her strength to speak on issues that plagued her as she was growing up, specifically ones that almost kept her from pursuing her dreams.  Racial comments and bullying were not uncommon for Gabby growing up, and using her fame as a platform to speak out against these issues is both relevant and inspiring to children and adolescents who struggle with similar issues. In December she released her autobiography Grace, Gold, and Glory: My Leap of Faith, which recounts her journey in gymnastics, the difficulties she faced along the way, and the perseverance that kept her going as she worked to achieve her ultimate dream of becoming an Olympian.  Gabby is an inspiration to those who wish to pursue their dreams and she is a testimony to the pay-off that comes along with hard work, perseverance, and a positive attitude. She is a confident and positive young adult who now serves as an excellent role model for America’s youth—and the youth throughout the world. 
Information source: Gabrielle Douglas personal website. Retrieved from http://gabrielledouglas.com/index.php
 <http://gabrielledouglas.com/video.php>


 

               
Jensine Larson is a social media entrepreneur who had a vision for women throughout the world—to utilize interactive digital media as an outlet for women’s voices, and to connect women on a global scale.  At 28 years old she founded World Pulse, which is an action media network that seeks to lift women’s voices up so that they are heard throughout the world.  The reasoning behind this mission is that when women are heard, they have the ability to change the world.  In the digital era that we live in today, it is no surprise that
this method of empowering women through digital media has proven to be successful.  World Pulse is active in 190 countries with over 50,000 members, and women who have used World Pulse as an outlet for their voice have had stories picked up by media outlets such as PBS, BBC and the Huffington Post.              
    Beyond her involvement with World Pulse, Larson has also recently developed a program that trains women in “web 2.0 citizen journalism” and empowerment, which creates a network of female journalists that extends to regions around the globe.  Larson has presented keynotes and panels at TED, Clinton Global Initiative, the Forum for Social Entrepreneurship, Women in Technology International, the Conference on World Affairs, and the list continues.
    Larson’s powerful presence and vision can be best described as an innovative solution to many battles that have been both fought and lost on behalf of women’s voices and whether or not they are heard—or even understood.  The ability to “speak up” is only as effective as the outlets that allow for such action to take place. Jensine Larson saw an opportunity for women and change, and she used her knowledge and passion to make this action media network a tangible source of empowerment for women. 

Information source: Jensine Larson personal website. http://www.jensinelarsen.com/
World Pulse. http://worldpulse.com/user/20


 

Malya Villard-Appolon, a finalist for the 2012 CNN Hero of the Year award, re-located to Haiti in 2010 after the disastrous 7.0 magnitude earthquake displaced 1.3 million people, took the lives of 316,000 and injured 300,000.  While Haiti was not politically nor culturally a stranger to social injustice against women, the issues that plagued women such as violence and rape escaladed at a rapid pace due to the vulnerable environment that was created by the earthquake.  The earthquake was an uncontrollable force that drastically altered the physical and social environment of the country, the result of which was a vulnerable environment for those who were already far too vulnerable.  Villard-Appolon, a co-founder of the Haitian grassroots organization KOFAVIV—Commission for Women Victims for Victims, had been advocating for women’s rights in Haiti since the organization’s founding in 2004.  As opposed to outsiders entering into a culture or becoming mere bystanders of the violence against women in Haiti, Villard-Appolon and other members of KOFAVIV consider themselves to be a part of this victimized group who struggle each day with the social injustice and violence that many women face today in Haiti. KOFAVIV is a peer-to-peer advocacy; women can support one another because they have lived and learned from similar experiences with violence, rape and other injustices.  

“We were all victims; I was a victim. I swore that I would give support and services to other women who were victims but also that I would work so that there would be no more victims,” said Malya Villard-Appolon as she outlined her past in a recent interview with WNN – Women News Network.
    
     In 2011, KOFAVIV and other international partners worked fervently to reform Haiti’s rape law which had become obsolete due to inconsistencies in the application and the overall slow process of sentencing rape crime.  Villard-Appolon, KOFAVIV, and other partners have pushed for a new and
improved law that would provide “doable” human rights to women in Haiti.   At the present time rape is arguably the largest issue that women face in Haiti, especially for those who still live in tent camps as Haiti struggles to rebuild after the earthquake.  Malya Villard-Appolon is an incredible example of a former victim who has taken it upon herself to help other women that are victimized by rape and violence and to give them the support and strength that they need to not only move forward in their lives, but also quite frankly to survive. Villard-Appolon could live anywhere in the world; she could live in a place that is not plagued by regular cases of rape and violence or surrounded by an environment that still remains in shambles after a disastrous earthquake.  Instead, she has chosen to live in the vulnerable environment of Haiti amidst the struggle in order to personally support and protect women who are in desperate need of help, and to push for new laws that grant women not only protection, but also human rights.  Villard-Appolon is indeed a true hero whose efforts in Haiti will play a critical role in changing the world.  
 
Information source: Women News Network. “Haiti’s CNN Hero finalist Mayla Villard-Appolon stil believes in women & change”Byline: Lys Anzia. <http://womennewsnetwork.net/2012/12/03/cnn-hero-finalist-malya-villard-appolon/>    

Few stories are as extraordinary as those of Zainab Salbi,
  founder and former CEO of Women for Women International, an organization dedicated to helping women rebuild their lives after suffering war and civil strife.  Born and raised in Baghdad, Iraq she grew up in a time of civil and political unrest. She came to the U.S. at a young age, and has since resided in the country while traveling to many other countries throughout the world to visit women who are desperately seeking to rebuild their lives after war.  Zainab founded Women for Women International in 1993, and she remained CEO of the organization through 2011. The statistics of the organization are astounding; over 315,000 women have been helped, approximately 1.7 million family lives have been impacted, and $103 million has been distributed through either direct aid or microloans. Zainab had a vision that would not only give these women aid, but also the skills that they would need to quite literally rebuild their lives.  
                
     The ability to touch the lives of women throughout the world is not limited by Zainab’s efforts with Women for Women International; she is also an acclaimed author of three books (the most recent book released in March 2013), featured in various publications including the New York Times, a highly coveted speaker, and an activist who has a voice that people not only want to hear, but also listen to.  She speaks on the issues of women’s empowerment and relevant foreign policy issues, and was described in 2008 by Time Magazine as someone who “gives women a voice.”  Zainab has been honored as one of the 100 Extraordinary Women who Shake the World by Newsweek, one of the Top 100 Women Activists and Campaigners by the Guardian, and she was named one of the most inspirational women in the world by the Economic Intelligence Unit.  Zainab is also a World Economic Forum Young Global Leader and is a member of the Clinton Global Initiative’s lead team. 

“I find it amazing that the only group of people who are not fighting and not
killing and not pillaging and not burning and not raping, and the group of
people who are mostly—though not exclusively—who are keeping life going in the
midst of war, are not included in the negotiating table.”  
 - Zainab Salbi on women and war
              
     There seem to be an infinite number of words that you could use to describe Zainab—inspirational, activist, humanitarian—and what it really comes down to is the fact that she is a visionary paving the way for the future of women. Zainab had the courage to do what she felt needed to be done in order to impact the lives of women suffering from civil strife throughout the world by founding Women for Women International, and she has used her voice in multiple ways to reach the women of the world. Whether it is through her books, articles, blog posts, speaking engagements or in person, Zainab’s strong and hopeful voice can be translated throughout the globe as one of truth and empowerment for the past, present, and future of women. 

Information source: Women for Women International. Zainab Salbi. http://www.womenforwomen.org/about-women-for-women/zainab-salbi.php
 Zainab Salbi, personal website. http://www.zainabsalbi.com/humanitarian
TED Speaker Zainab Salbi: Activist and Social Entrepreneur. http://www.ted.com/speakers/zainab_salbi.html


 

Women are collectively finding new ways to speak out against issues that resonate with them; whether it is political, economic or social, each issue carries with it a personal significance to those who are willing to not only speak out against the issue, but create a platform for other women and men that can become a vehicle for a movement.  Laura Bates, the founder of the Everyday Sexism Project, is a writer who created a blog that has evolved into a collection of thousands of stories from both men and women about their personal experiences with sexism.  Bates’ mission was not to provide a forum that bashes men, society or culture, but rather to create a collective voice for sexism so that it can be acknowledged by society and serve as an exhibit to those whom argue that sexism no longer exists in our culture in the U.S. 

               Sexism is often an uncomfortable topic to discuss and as society evolves and social issues begin to surface, it is unfortunate that not all issues are appropriately addressed nor received by the masses.  Sexism is an issue that can take many different forms, create situations that can range from minor to severe and often creates a defensive dynamic among women who seek to protect their equal human rights and individualistic self.  Bates’ forum for these stories allow a collective voice to be heard; whether it is a story from an adolescent girl, a middle-aged homemaker, a senior executive at a global corporation, a military officer or an third-party observer.  The Everyday Sexism Project was developed by Bates to prove a point to both men and women alike.  Not only does sexism continue to exist in our developed society, but it is seldom discussed or taken as seriously as it should.  Bates, like many other strong and confident women that we continue to see throughout the world, sought to find a potential solution to a social problem that plagued not only her, but millions of men and women.  While Laura Bates and the Everyday Sexism Project will not be able to immediately stop sexism, a movement in the right direction has been created that includes the voices of thousands of ordinary men and women who want to take a stand against sexism and continue to advocate for not only equal rights, but the behavioral change that must come with this progress.  

  Information Source: Policy Mic, Everyday Sexism Project: Women Worldwide Turn to Twitter to Combat Misogyny. <http://www.policymic.com/articles/13022/everyday-sexism-project-women-worldwide-turn-to-twitter-to>

Natalie Portman is an Oscar-winning actress and she has truly set the example for a celebrity using their status and voice as a platform for global issues, in particular micro-financing to inspire entrepreneurship and other vehicles for female empowerment and social change.   

As the first Ambassador of Hope for FINCA International, an organization dedicated to empowering entrepreneurs in low-income households and communities through the process of micro-lending by the means of “village banks”, Portman is an advocate for many social causes and uses her influence to draw attention to these issues and how a positive change can be made to those in dire circumstances.  She has visited FINCA programs in Guatemala, Ecuador, Uganda and Mexico and met the women and men who benefit from the programs and village banks that FINCA provides.  One story that she has mentioned in an interview is about a woman that she had met during her time in Uganda:

“I was in Uganda and I met this woman who had ten children and she had been in FINCA for eleven years. And she had ten children - when she started out her husband was beating her because she couldn’t have a boy. She had only girls. So he had kicked her out and she was living on 80 cents a day. With ten kids. And she was like begging her neighbors to give her like old laundry water just to clean their clothes. And she started on a $50 loan with FINCA eleven years ago, and she now has, I think it’s a $2,000 loan, eleven years later, and she owns a huge restaurant. She sends one of her daughters to university and she employs seven other women in her village. “

               It is stories such as this that inspires Portman to speak out against injustices for women, those who live in poverty and for those who either lack the resources or do not know how to invest in their community.  This hope of empowering a new generation that wants to make a positive change in the world drives Portman to invest her time and energy into an organization that provides financial services to those in low-income environments, and inspires these individuals to become entrepreneurs and improve their standard of living.  Portman’s advocacy for social change and her positive attitude for this change throughout the world make her an incredible role model for women of all generations and her confident, humble voice for change has the power to reach women throughout the world.

Information source: Interview with Marianne Schnall, founder of Feminist.com. See full interview at http://www.feminist.com/resources/artspeech/interviews/natalieportman.html

It is no question that Maya Angelou is indeed a renaissance woman—she is a renowned poet, activist, actress, musician, educator and historian.  But perhaps most importantly, she is a voice;  a voice of courage, strength, love and grace.  Born in Mississippi in 1928, she faced the intense hardships of racial discrimination and has since used her experiences to tell a continuous story of courage and faith through many artistic outlets, including poetry, dance and spoken word. 

When asked the question in a 2008 interview: “What message would you want to instill in young girls and what do you wish you had known as a child?”,  Angelou responded:

“That one, courage. Also, I encourage courtesy. To accept nothing less than courtesy and to give nothing less than courtesy. If we accept being talked to in any kind of way, then we are telling ourselves that we are not quite worth the best. And if we have the effrontery to talk to anybody with less courtesy, we tell ourselves and the world that we are not very intelligent.”

It is this assertion of courage and humility that enables Maya Angelou to inspire women to be proud of who they are as women and most importantly that they have the ability to inspire others to optimistically move forward towards change.  In the same interview referenced above, she stated that she notices an incredible shift in social communities where women are seeking out other women to form groups; activist groups, social groups, special interest groups, etc.  As a woman who grew up during the time when women did not have the right to vote and witnessed the first stages of feminist activism in the United States, Angelou was amazed to see how the women in society have progressively come together to form a stronger voice for women throughout the world.   There is no doubt that this progressive movement is in many ways indebted to both her words and work that speak to the courage and confidence of women. 

Maya Angelou will celebrate her 85th birthday this year and is currently a professor of American Studies at Wake Forest University.

Information source:  Interview with Marianne Schnall, founder of Feminist.com http://www.feminist.com/resources/artspeech/interviews/mayaangelou.html
Maya Angelou, Biography www.mayaangelou.com