International Women's Day: 5 Women Who Advocate for Diversity, Inclusion and Equality
Many people may perceive women as weak, but they have proven them wrong time and again. So many women leaders and entrepreneurs didn't just make millions but also helped millions more by providing them jobs. In our households, some super moms multitask more than just ensuring the children remain happy and healthy.
We come across women in corporate offices, malls, train stations everywhere you go, and we can see how good they are at what they do. Also, there are women with advocacies who have decided to be the voice of a specific lesser heard group. In this post, we celebrate women advocates of diversity whose work in many fields helps appreciate the essence of leadership and the problems of inclusiveness. Meet some of them below:
1. Malala Yousafzai
Born on July 12, 1997, in Mingora, Swat Valley, Pakistan, Malala Yousafzai is a prominent advocate for girls' education and the youngest recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize. At age 15, she survived an assassination attempt by the Taliban for her activism. Post-recovery, Malala co-founded the Malala Fund to promote education for girls globally. She continues her advocacy through various platforms, including film production, highlighting marginalized women's stories. Her recent documentary, "The Last of the Sea Women," showcases the lives of the haenyeo, elderly female free-divers from Jeju Island, South Korea.
2. Reshma Saujani
Reshma Saujani is an American lawyer and activist, best known for founding Girls Who Code, a nonprofit organization dedicated to closing the gender gap in technology. Born on November 18, 1975, in Illinois to Indian Gujarati parents expelled from Uganda during Idi Amin's regime, she pursued higher education at the University of Illinois, Harvard University, and Yale Law School. Saujani's career includes roles in law and politics, notably becoming the first Indian American woman to run for U.S. Congress in 2010. Her literary works, such as "Women Who Don't Wait in Line" and "Brave, Not Perfect," further her advocacy for women's empowerment.
3. Minda Harts
Minda Harts is a Passionate workplace consultant, speaker, and author focused on addressing the issues that women of color encounter in a White-dominated professional environment. She started a career development firm called The Memo LLC, and wrote the book titled, " The Memo: What Women of Color Need to Know To Secure a Seat at the Table", where she discusses how to deal with the existing discrimination in workplaces. Harts is also an adjunct assistant professor at NYU’s Wagner School of Public Service.
4. Vernā Myers
Vernā Myers is a consultant, speaker, and author famously known for her works in promotion of inclusivity. She previously established The Vernā Myers Company that dealt with corporate biases. In 2018, she gave a TED Talk on “How to Overcome Our Biases? Walk Boldly Toward Them”. After her time at Myers Company, she moved on to becoming Vice President of Inclusion Strategy at Netflix, where she was tasked with expanding the diversity of the people roped into casting and production. She also augmented the diversity initiatives during her tenure there.
5. Dolores Huerta
Dolores Huerta (born April 10, 1930) is an American labor leader and civil rights activist. She co-founded the National Farm Workers Association (later the United Farm Workers) with César Chávez in 1962. Huerta played a pivotal role in organizing the Delano grape strike in 1965 and is credited with coining the phrase "Sí, se puede" ("Yes, we can"). Her advocacy has earned her numerous awards, including the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2012.
The journeys of these five remarkable women highlight the transformative power of advocacy in promoting diversity, inclusion, and equality. Their unwavering commitment serves as a beacon, inspiring individuals and communities worldwide to challenge systemic barriers and foster environments where every voice is valued. As we reflect on their contributions, we are reminded of the ongoing work required to achieve true equity and the pivotal role each of us plays in this collective endeavor.