Today marks the 100th Anniversary of International Women’s Day! It is a day to celebrate the achievements women have made in an array of areas including, but not limited to, women’s rights, health, politics, economics, and in the social realm. Today we celebrate a few women that have made a significant impact on the world and are amazing role models.
Oprah Winfrey: Known primarily for her successful television show, “The Oprah Winfrey Show”, Oprah is also an actress, producer, and philanthropist. She has been voted the world’s most powerful woman by CNN and Time.com and is the only person in the world who has been on TIME’s "Most Influential People" list eight times. Oprah also invests a lot of her time and fortune in charity work in Africa.
First Lady Michelle Obama: While she is the wife of our current President, Mrs. Obama has made a significant impact on the world in her own right. She dedicates her time to getting children fit and healthy with her Let’s Move campaign and advocates heavily for military families. FLOTUS is also a fashionista! In 2007 Vanity Fair listed her as “10 of the World’s Best Dressed People”.
Beyonce Knowles-Carter: Where do I begin?! Beyonce is a singer-songwriter, actress, dancer, designer, and now she can add producer to her long resume. She has won 17 Grammys, 12 MTV Video Music Awards, and has sold over 118 million albums world-wide. Beyonce has been placed on many lists, but the most notable are Forbes’ 100 Most Powerful and Influential Musicians in the World and most currently tops the World’s Highest-Paid Celebrity Couples list with her superstar hubby Jay-Z.
Hilary Clinton: Hilary first came into the spotlight as President Bill Clinton’s wife, but let it be known she could stand on her own in politics. She served as the Secretary of State from 2009 to 2013 and was a United States Senator for New York from 2001 to 2009. Mrs. Clinton cofounded the Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families in 1977 and along with her husband helped to reform the Arkansas education system. Her election as a U.S. Senator made her the first American First Lady to run for public office as well as the first female senator to represent that state.
Soladad O’brien: Soladad is a broadcast journalist and owner of Starfish Media Group Production Company. She has won an Emmy award for Discovery Channel’s The Know Zone, the NAACP President’s Award, John Hopkins Goodermote Humanitarian Award, and the Journalist of the Year Award from the National Association of Black Journalists. Newsweek has featured Mrs. O’brien as “15 People Who Make America Great” and Irish American Magazine has listed her on the “Top 100 Irish Americans” twice.
Shirin Ebadi: Shirin is an Iranian lawyer and a human rights activist. She is the founder of Defenders of Human Rights Center and was the first Iranian to win the Nobel Peace Prize in 2003 for “her significant and pioneering efforts for democracy and human rights”.
Engy Ghozlan: Engy is famous for her campaigns against sexual harassment and was the Project Coordinator for the Egyptian Centre for Women’s Rights. She is great advocate for greater participation of women in politics in Egypt.
We know that this list doesn't even scratch the surface of amazing women. Who would you add?
