10 Inspirational women, we should all know about

Inspired by International women's day, I wanted to draw your attention to 10 inspirational women throughout history. These women have done amazing things, fought for their rights, and changed the world we live in.

No. 1

Anne Frank

Anne Frank was a young girl during the time of world war 2. She herself was a jew and therefore had to hideaway, in her home with the blinds down for two years of her life in the Netherlands. The whole time, she kept a diary of events, which later went on to be published. When her family were arrested, someone found her diary and kept it, however, when he heard of the passing of Anne, he decided to give it to Anne's father Otto- the only survivor of eight in hiding in their home. In the diary, Anne mentioned how she had plans to publish it after the war. Uncertain at first, Otto later went on to publish Anne's diary. You can now read Anne's diary, and it has sold over 30 million copies and been translated into 70 languages. Anne is inspirational because she represents all those who were killed by the nazis in her time. She acts as a role model to never give up. Despite the dangerous and scary times that they found themselves living in, Anne always stayed positive and hopeful and she never gave up.

No. 2

Rosa Parks

Rosa Parks was an American civil rights activist best known for her Montgomery bus boycott. On December 1st of 1955, Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat to a white man while riding on a city bus. For doing so Parks was arrested and fined for breaking the laws of segregation. Rosa, being a black woman, meant that she was discriminated against unjustly. She fought for her rights and as a result, the United States Congress called her 'the first lady of civil rights' and 'the mother of the freedom movement'. She is an inspiration to many because she fought for what she believed in and didn't give up.

No. 3

Greta Thunberg.

Greta Thunberg is a Sweedish climate change activist. When Greta was just 15 she won a climate change essay competition in a local newspaper, which is what started her campaigning and protesting. 3 months later in August of 2018, she began her protests in front of the Swedish government. She sat outside the parliament building every Friday, missing school, with her sign that read 'School Strike for Climate' and vowed to continue until the Sweedish government met the carbon emissions target agreed by world leaders in Paris in 2015. Her movement gathered the attention of other students and young people all over the world due to a viral hashtag of #fridaysforfuture. By the end of 2018 thousands of pupils around the world had joined her in protest. In 2019 she travelled to New York to address the UN climate conference. Being so environmentally friendly, Thunberg refuses to fly because it has negative impacts on the environment, so instead, she travelled for two weeks in a racing yacht with sustainable energy sources attached, such as solar panels. Being so young, it was hard for people to listen to her message, however, she did not give up. 'How dare you?' is a phrase she often repeated throughout her speech to emphasise how she should not be giving this message as the problem should have been dealt with. Despite some people having strong opinions about her, she has achieved something incredible and changed the world in a positive way. Her young age makes her a role model for everyone and makes us realise that if you want something, there is nothing stopping you from achieving it.

No. 4

Malala Yousafazi

Malala Yousafazi is a Pakistani activist for female education and the youngest Nobel Prize laureate. Commonly known for human rights advocacy, Malala also promotes and advocates for education in women and children in the middle east and Pakistan. In these areas, especially where Malala grew up, the local Taliban had banned girls from attending school, which Malala rightfully thought was wrong. In 2012, Malala got shot by the Taliban in an attempt to silence her activism for education. Malala's movement gained public recognition and her advocacy has grown into an international movement. She is incredibly brave and fought against an unjust society she was living in. Malala inspires people to fight for what they believe in no matter how hard it may be. In 2014, Malala went to win a noble peace prize at only 17 years old, making her the youngest person ever to win this incredible prize.

No. 5

Amelia Earheart

Amelia Earheart was the first female aviator to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean. In her time, being a pilot was a heavily male-dominated industry and mostly still is, however she broke the norm and attempted to become the first female to complete a circumnavigational flight of the globe in 1937. During the attempt Earheart and her navigator Fred Noonan sadly disappeared over the central pacific ocean near Howard island. A while later they were both declared dead. Earheart's actions of courage and bravery are inspirational to many. She pushed herself into an industry full of men, which would have been intimidating for her. She didn't let this get to her and continued to chase her dreams, inspiring and empowering so many along the way.

No. 6

Mother Teresa

Mother Teressa was an Albanian-Indian Roman Catholic nun and missionary. She founded the order of the missionaries of charity, which was a Roman Catholic charity dedicated to caring for the blind, elderly, sick, the dying and people with leprosy in the poor areas of her city. She dedicated her life to helping others who were in need and she is still remembered today for her selfless actions. She additionally set up multiple hospitals and areas to help those in need. Later on in her life when she was 69, she went on to win a noble peace prize.

No. 7

Michelle Obama

Michelle Obama is an American attorney and author along with being the first lady of the United States from 2009-2017. As first lady, Michelle served as a role model for women and girls and she worked to advocate for poverty awareness, education, nutrition, physical activity and healthy eating. However, she is not just successful for being the president's wife, in fact, she graduated from Harvard law school and went on to land a job at a prestigious law firm. She also is true to herself and not afraid to voice her own opinion and so, she acts as an inspiration to many. She is a big believer in girls rights and continues to fight for available access to education.

No. 8

Florence Nightingale

Florence Nightingale was an English statistician, social reformer and founder of modern day nursing. Nightingale went to the Crimean to nurse and help wounded soldiers, she helped them all the time including during the night and as a result she became known as 'the lady with the lamp'. She saved hundreds of lives with the help of her nurses during the war and she is remembered for making changes to nursing and showing people that nursing was and still is a very important job. She inspires so many people especially in the health industry because of her hard work and selflessness.

No. 9

Princess Diana

Princess Diana was an inspirational hero for many people because of her success in changing peoples lives around the world. Once she married into royalty, she helped raise awareness of many issues such as mental health issues, eating disorder, and HIV and AIDS. Diana spent her lifetime helping others and being an activist and revolutionaist. She supported the ban of landmines and she helped the vulnerable and those in need. She went against the norms of the royal family which caught a lot of attention of the media, however this did not stop her from living positively and having a kind heart.

No. 10

Emmeline Pankhurst.

Emmeline Pankhurst was best remembered for being a huge political activist in the UK. She was vital in organising the UK suffragette movement to help women gain equality by gaining the right to vote. She raised awareness and fought for her rights to be involved in political voting. In 1903 she founded the WSPU (women's social and political union), a movement for women only moving political ideas forward. She is inspirational because she continued to fight, despite the danger of her situation and she was part of the battle against unjustness, fairness and women voting.

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thomasjlblog

10th March 2021