The issue of women's rights has been prevalent through world culture since pretty much, well, forever. Some people question why so many people worry about women's rights, but the reasons to those who truly care are obvious.
Rape is still a huge problem, the wage gap is wider than the Nile River is long, and women just flat out aren't represented the way they should be. For a random celebration of women who defy all men and simultaneously kick butt, here is my personal list of some seriously bada** women,
1. Rosa Parks
The Civil Rights Movement is probably my favorite era of history, just because I love researching about it and taking inspiration to help with my own activism. Parks became famous in 1955 when she refused to give up her seat to a white man on a public bus. Parks was then arrested and held in prison for several hours before being released. A small action, but enough that Parks' incident ignited the boycott movement and helped Rosa Parks become a poster-child for Civil Rights until she died in 2005.
2. Jane Goodall
Born in 1934, Goodall rose to fame in the mid-1960's as she progressed through her work with chimpanzees in Tanzania. Since then, Goodall has solved many of the mysteries humanity has revolving around our evolutionary history and how chimpanzees interact with one another. On top of that, her work and awards have helped other female scientists break through the glass ceiling in the science world.
3. Malala Yousafzai
I haven't known about Malala for long, but she's already turned into one of my biggest inspirations. Born in 1997, Malala is known for her efforts in bringing educational opportunities to young girls in underdeveloped areas and countries. Shot in the head by the Taliban in 2012, she later won the Nobel Peace Prize and published a memoir in 2014 before starting at Oxford in August 2017.
4. Valentina Tereshkova
While not very well known, Tereshkova has a special spot in my heart. In 1963, Tereshkova became the first woman to enter Space when she flew the Russian Vostok 6 and orbited the Earth approximately 48 times. Although it was her first and last space expedition, Tereshkova broke one of the biggest glass ceilings of all time and opened yet another field to women.
5. Hillary Clinton
I couldn't help myself with this one; I love Hillary and all that she's done. If a woman in the middle public eye, the White House public eye, can be cheated on by her husband and tolerate how awful the media is to her, she deserves the world. I cried when she gave her nomination acceptance speech, and multiple more times that winter. Clinton is an outstandingly accomplished woman who has lost so much simply because she is a woman. A girl like that deserves everything in life.
