INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY: 5 WOMEN ACTIVISTS CURRENTLY KICKING BUTT

The world is already aware of incredible women such as Malala Yousafzai, Elizabeth Warren, Aung San Suu Kyi, Beyonce, etc. So this International Women’s Day, we want to add more women to that list, highlight their accomplishments, and inspire you to kick butt alongside them! #Work

SEYHAN ARMAN

Seyhan Arman is a transgender icon living in Turkey. Known for her plays and appearances in Turkish theater and media, Arman advocates for transgender rights all over Europe.

Most recently, she was very vocal on the murder of transgender woman Hande Kader, and last year, she was featured in the BBC’s “100 Women” television series. #Slay

MUZOON ALMELLEHAN

Muzoon Almellehan is just 18-years-old and busy advocating for girls’ education in Syria.

Almellehan organized her family’s move to the UK, where they were one of the first Syrian refugees in the country. There, Almellehan began to advocate for girls’ education by persuading Syrian parents to keep their children in school rather than forcing child marriages.

Almellehan is a also a personal friend of Malala Yousafzai, who invited her to the 2014 Nobel Peace Prize ceremony. #FriendshipGoals

NANFU WANG 

Nanfu Wang is an independent documentary filmmaker who focuses her work on the stories of marginalized and mistreated people. Born in a remote farming village in China, Wang worked her way up from very little in order to study English, journalism, and film studies. She currently holds master’s degrees from NYU, Ohio University, and Shanghai University.

Her guerrilla-style documentary “Hooligan Sparrow,” which follows Wang and women’s rights activist Ye Haiyan, debuted at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival and is currently available on Netflix. #FeministAndChill

MELINA LABOUCAN-MASSIMO 

Melina Laboucan-Massimo is a Climate and Energy Campaigner for Greenpeace Canada and advocate for Indigenous rights.

A member of the Lubicon Cree First Nation from Northern Alberta, Laboucan-Massimo spent the past couple years travelling Canada and sharing stories about the dangers and injustices of oil sands development on indigenous lands. In 2005, the United Nations Human Rights Committee sided with Laboucan-Massimo and found that Canada violated the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

Amidst rampant opposition from the government and the corporations that use the oil sands, Laboucan-Massimo carried on with her fight. #ShePersisted

LIYA KEBEDE 

Liya Kebede is an Ethiopian model, fashion designer, actress, and maternal health advocate.

 

Currently serving as the World Heath Organization’s Goodwill Ambassador for Maternal, Newborn, and Child Health, Kebede has worked to reduce childbirth-related deaths in Ethiopia and all around the world. In 2013, she was named one of Glamour’s Women of the Year for her stringent activism. #Goals

Inspired? Grab a vina and go and make your own change together! All you gotta do is swipe.

(Featured Image courtesy of Hampton Institution)