This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at CWU chapter.

The month of March is dedicated to recognizing and celebrating the contributions of women from around the world and it is more importantly observed as, Women’s History Month. There are many female leaders out there that deserve significant praise for their vital role in history such as Amelia Earhart, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Jane Goodall, Marie Curie, Michelle Obama, Kamala Harris, Frida Kahlo, Malala Yousafzai, Oprah Winfrey, and the list could go on. Nonetheless, these women have ultimately made an enormous impact in education, politics, health, science, and exploration. Most of these influential leaders also strongly defend and support women’s rights. More than anything, I believe that these female role models have taught us that there is no limit to our achievements and that we are stronger together.

In the English course that I’m currently taking, I learned about another resilient female role model that I had no knowledge of before, but I thought she equally deserved to be recognized for her growing activism on forced marriage. Sonita Alizadeh grew up in Afghanistan under the oppressive rule of the Taliban and she escaped two forced marriages that were planned by her family at the ages of nine and sixteen. Shortly after relocating to Iran, Sonita had a passionate desire to rap and produce music that explicitly emphasized ending forced marriages. Sonita used her powerful voice and lyrics to show her opposition and rage toward feeling like a commodity in her own country. After creating a song and producing a music video entitled “Brides for Sale” on YouTube, Sonita quickly gained international attention. Sonita’s personal story was captured through a documentary that took three years to film, and it premiered at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival. Watching this documentary with my class felt very eye-opening as I was not completely aware of the severe lack of women’s rights in other countries. All things considered, Sonita is a fierce warrior in standing up for what she truly believes in: equality for women. Although this issue of forced marriage is occurring on the other side of the world for women, I am a firm believer of any injustice being a threat everywhere. Sonita’s personal experiences very much impact all women from a global perspective, so we should all work to support and protect each other in the face of equality and freedom.

There are many women who deserve to be remembered this month, including mothers, educators, and ordinary women alike. We truly come out stronger by working together to improve society and transform the future. When we are all on each other’s team, we are invincible.

Stronger Together: Women’s History Month

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