It's that time of the year: Women's History Month! As we prevail through the month of March, we should not only honor the women who have changed the course of history, but we should also celebrate each and every women living today. Appreciate and support your female friends, family members, and colleagues, because women made it this far, and we are not stopping now. Here are just a few examples of women who have changed global history.
Hedy Lamarr (1914-2000).
I can excuse everything but boredom. Boring people don't have to stay that way.
Born in Austria, Hedy Lamarr was the inventor of “frequency hopping” technology, which would ultimately help the United States win World War II. With this secret communications system, signals could not be interrupted. Frequency hopping helped lay out the foundations for inventions we use quite (frequently) today like wi-fi and GPS systems. She was also a famous movie star in the Golden Age of Hollywood -- talk about multitasking!
Corazon Aquino (1933-2009).
As I came to power peacefully, so shall I keep it.
Corazon became the first female president of the Philippines after the People Power Revolution, which was a protest and civil disobedience movment after she lost an initial election that many people, including our President at the time, Ronald Reagan, claimed to be election fraud. As president she proposed radical changes, including a new Constitution eliminating corruption that was previously prevalent. She focused greatly on civil liberties and civil rights, and became a member of the Council of Women World Leaders. She was a feminist at heart.
Ruth Bader Ginsburg (1933-).
I try to teach through my opinions, through my speeches, how wrong it is to judge people on the basis of what they look like, color of their skin, whether they’re men or women.
Not only is the Notorious RBG the cutest women to walk on the face of the Earth, she is also one of the smartest. She’s had a very long career in law and political science: She was the first women to be on two major law reviews (Harvard and Columbia), co-founded the Women’s Rights Project, was appointed to the Supreme Court in 1993, and currently continues to be an advocate for national feminism and a women’s right to choose. She’s so awesome that now there’s even a coloring book about her.
Mae Jemison (1956- ).
You have as much right as anyone else to be in this world and to be in any profession you want... You don't have to wait for permission.
Mae Jemison started out in the medical field -- she graduated from Stanford University and did medical humanitarian work in Liberia and Sierra Leone through the Peace Corps. As if that wasn’t enough to boast about, she then grew interested in space, applied to the NASA program, and became the first female African-American astronaut. Then, she began teaching at Dartmouth and Cornell. Currently, she is leading the “100 Year Starship,” which plans the next 100 years of interstellar travel. She also dances. Is there anything Mae can’t do?
Qiu Jin (1875-1907).
The young intellectuals are all chanting, "Revolution, Revolution," but I say the revolution will have to start in our homes, by achieving equal rights for women.
Referred to as the “Chinese Joan of Arc,” Qiu Jin constantly challenged gender roles at a time where such an act was unheard of. From a young age, she demanded equal rights for women, and was deemed the first Chinese women to lead an armed uprising against the Qing Dynasty. She was, unfortunately, arrested and executed for her actions, but became a prominent female martyr. Even though she is a very famous figure in China, many Americans have not heard of her -- so let’s change that!
