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Celebrating Women's History Month: Activism

ALL YEAR LONG!

In the Spotlight

 Marley Dias

  When Marley Dias was in the sixth grade, she became frustrated with the lack of diversity in her     school’s literature— most of the books she saw featured white boys. So she decided to do something   about it. At age 11, she initiated the #1000BlackGirlBooks project to collect and donate   1,000 titles that featured black girls as the central character. Marley's drive has since yielded more   than 11,000. In 2018, at age 13, she published her first book, Marley Dias Gets It Done: And So Can You! (DeLoza, 2018).         

Photo: courtesy of ILA

  Cecile Richards

  From 2006 to 2018, Richards served as president of the Planned Parenthood Federation of America.   In 2019, she co-founded the organization Supermajority with Black Lives Matter co-founder Alicia     Garza and Ai-jen Poo, the executive director of the National Domestic Workers Alliance.   Supermajority brings together women of all backgrounds to organize around common issues like   reproductive rights, and mobilizes them to vote.(Mashable.com)

 

   Malala Yousafzai

  Malala is a Pakistani education advocate who, at the age of 17 in 2014, became the youngest   person to win the Nobel Peace Prize. She became an advocate for girls' education when she   herself was still a child, which resulted in the Taliban issuing a death threat against her. On October 9, 2012, a gunman shot Yousafzai when she was traveling home from school. She survived and has continued to speak out on the importance of education. In 2013, she gave a speech to the United Nations and published her first book, I Am Malala. (Biography.com)                                      Photo: Andrew Burton/Getty Images

 

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez

 Widely known by her intials, AOC currently serves as the U.S. Representative for New York's 14th   congressional district. A staunch advocate for environmental awareness, universal healthcare, and   immigration reform, she is no stranger to criticism for holding her own against those who oppose her in   Washington D.C. 

 

 

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

  Award-winning Nigerian author who champions women's rights around the globe. Her 2012 TEDx talk   We Should All Be Feminists opened up a much-needed conversation of reclaiming feminism's true   roots, and was published as a book under the same name in 2014.

 


   Gloria Steinem

  Steinem is one of the most prominent faces of American second-wave feminism, and her activism continues to this day. In   1971, he co- founded Ms. Magazine, a women's glossy that steered away from the sexist narratives of other publications at   the time. A key supporter of the Equal Rights Amendment, Steinem helped organize women around the movement.

 

Activist Organizations and Projects

 

  • Hollaback: A project that aims to end street harassment by exposing it

  • INCITE: National network of feminists of color working to end violence against women, gender non-conforming, and trans people of color

  • Justice Now: An organization that works to stop violence against women, including state-sanctioned violence and incarceration, and promotes alternative responses to interpersonal violence

  • AbuseLawsuit.com: A law group that works to bring awareness to issues surrounding child sexual abuse, and extend the information and resources they offer to victims and survivors of institutional sexual abuse

  • Black Girl Dangerous: This blog seeks to amplify the voices and experiences of queer and trans* people of color

  • The Body Is Not an Apology: Fosters global, radical, unapologetic self love which translates to radical human love and action in service toward a more just, equitable and compassionate world

  • Everyday Feminism: An intersectional feminist online magazine

  • Feminist Frequency: A feminist web series about pop culture

  • Feministing: An active online community of feminist bloggers

  • Guerilla Feminism: Facilitates feminist street activism and feminist digital activism around the globe

  • Imagining Ourselves: Online exhibition by the International Museum of Women exploring the question, "What Defines Your Generation of Women?"

  • Thoughts of an Angry Hijabi: Muslim Intersectional feminist blog

  • FairyGodBoss: A free resource and community of women who share advice and tips about pay, benefits, and company culture with a focus on gender equality in the workplace

  • Feminist.com: This site links visitors to activist resources

  • Girls Inc.: Advocates for girls’ needs and develops research-based education programs

  • MANA: Dedicated to the empowerment of Latinas of all ages

  • The Ruckus Society: Dedicated to training and assisting environmental activists in the use of nonviolent civil disobedience

  • Advocates for Youth: Youth centered organization that seeks to uplift access to sexual health information and resources

  • Alternate Reproductive Justice: A collection of socially conscious news articles related to reproductive justice

  • NARAL : Mission is to preserve and improve women’s access to legal abortion, contraceptive choice and quality reproductive care

  • Native American Women's Health Resource Center: A compendium of health programs benefiting indigenous people locally, nationally and internationally

  • Planned Parenthood: Delivers vital reproductive health care, sex education, and information to millions of women and men worldwide

  • Sister Song: Women of color reproductive justice collective

  • Trust Black Women: Supports Black women and girls with implementing reproductive health decisions that are personal, appropriate, accessible, and affordable

  • Center for Women's Global Leadership: Seeks to develop an understanding of the ways in which gender affects the exercise of power and the conduct of public policy

  • Women's Environment and Development Org: International advocacy network working for justice through empowerment 

  • Women's International League for Peace and Freedom: Works to achieve world disarmament, full rights for women, racial and economic justice and an end to all forms of violence

  • Adbusters: An organization that tries to combat oppressive forms of the media

  • The Representation Project: Uses film and media content to break down gender stereotypes

  • American Association of University Women: A national organization that promotes education and equity for all women and girls

  • National Women's Studies Association: Supports and promotes feminist education, research and professional and community service

  • National LGBTQ Task Force: A progressive civil rights organization that has supported grassroots organizing and advocacy

  • Sylvia Rivera Law Project: Works to guarantee that all people are free to self-determine gender identity and expression, regardless of income or race, and without facing harassment, discrimination or violence

  • Transgender Law Center: Changes law, policy, and attitudes so that all people can live safely, authentically, and free from discrimination regardless of their gender identity or expression