A year ago, almost to the day an estimated half a million people took to the streets of Washington D.C. to advocate and show support of women’s rights, rights of minorities, LGTBQ rights, and environmental rights. The cause of this protest, which also took places in most major cities in the United States as well as around the world, was the inauguration of Donald Trump as the new president.

2017 would prove to be the year were women’s rights finally got the attention it deserved, even though the reasons for that could not have been more ironic. The largest protest in the history of the United States, which happened entirely peacefully, rocked into motion what had been bubbling underneath the surface for a very long time.

Women all across the country finally had enough. Whether it was small acts of rebellion or large ones that caught the media's attention, women everywhere decided that it was time to take charge.

On the anniversary of the Women’s March, let us not forget that there is still work left to be done before women achieve the status in the world that they deserve. Especially, after the recent reveal of the systematic sexual assault and sexual violence that takes place in Hollywood. The following #metoo campaign showed this is not a phenomenon that only takes place in Hollywood but everywhere. The statistics on this are clear. 35% of women worldwide experience sexual violence at some point in their lives. (UN Women)

Despite all of these horrible news which the media tends to focus way too much on, here are a couple of stories of women who broke the class ceiling and who empower us and show us that anything is possible!

Linda Sarsour:

Linda Sarsour who was one of the co-chairs of the Women's March in Washington D.C., comes from a family of Palestinian immigrants. Long before she would help organize the demonstration she became a political activist who would stand up for minorities. Whether it was her involvement against the harassment of Muslims after 9/11 or her support for the Black Lives Matter movement, Linda Sarsour shows us that every voice matters. Even when you think you won't make a difference, you standing up for what is right will always have an impact.

Patty Jenkins:

One of the most successful movies of the year 2017 was directed by a woman. Patty Jenkins, who up until that point had been directing some smaller movies that barely made headlines, directed Wonder Women which made over $100,000,000 on opening weekend alone. The male-dominated industry of directing is slowly but surely opening its gates to women. Not because they want to but because of women like Patty Jenkins who prove to the world that women are just as capable of creating incredible entertainment than man are.

Danica Roem:

At the end of the year, Danica Roem surprised everyone when she was voted the first openly transgender candidate to the Virginia House of Delegates. She had been running against Bob Marshall, who during long political career had been advocating against same-sex marriage, women's reproductive rights and other topics just to name a few. Danica Roem broke the glass ceiling and thereby showed the United States and the world that nothing can really stop you if you have a goal in mind.

These are only three of countless examples of women who have been doing their part to ensure that women's rights are truly becoming human rights. Despite facing big obstacles along the way, they never stopped and in the end, prevailed. 2018 has the potential of being another groundbreaking year for women. On the anniversary of the Women's march, we should remind ourselves how far we have come but to also remember that there are still some battles that need to be fought.