In the past few days, many women have felt a large blow their confidence: Hillary Clinton, the first female presidential candidate, lost the presidency to Donald Trump, a man who, among other things, has been accused of multiple accounts of sexual assault, and perpetuates racist, xenophobic ideals. I will admit that Wednesday morning was not an easy morning for me. In fact, the night before, when I was supposed to be studying for an important exam, I was so distracted by the election results coming in that I had to make myself turn off my electronics and go to sleep. When I woke up in the morning, the unthinkable had become a reality: Donald Trump had won the presidency. I don’t think that I could’ve anticipated my reaction, mainly because I don’t think I ever really considered the possibility that he would become president. To me, Hillary losing the election was about more than politics: as I called my mom, I couldn’t stop sobbing, feeling extreme remorse that, it seemed to me, all of the progress that she fought for in her life was still not enough. In my initial reaction, women everywhere lost on Tuesday, because, in my opinion, the more qualified, experienced, and intelligent candidate lost not because she wasn’t qualified, experienced, or intelligent enough, but instead because she was a she.
While I still have this lingering thought, I realized quickly that I cannot let it crush my spirits: I cannot let myself believe that all the work that Susan B. Anthony, Rosa Parks, Betty Freidan, my grandmother, your mother, and so many other amazing women have fought for has gone to waste.
It was refreshing on Wednesday to read so many posts of empowerment and alliance. Instead of messages of hate, wishing bad on the future president, and tearing his supporters down, I witnessed an outstanding majority of my friends promote acceptance and togetherness, whether that be for minority, LGBTQ, women’s, or a myriad of other marginalized groups’ rights.
And so, following my initial reaction to the 2016 election, I thought it would be only fitting to highlight some amazing impressive women who are still, and will continue, making history and breaking ceilings everyday, just like everyone reading this.
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1. Khaldiya Jibawi
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This 18-year-old girl is from Syria but has been living in Za’atari Refugee Camp in Jordan for three years following the Syrian civil war. Living in Za’atari, she was given her first access to a camera and filmmaking, and now uses her talents to help tell the stories of other girls in the camp. You can watch a clip of her movie here, which was produced entirely by an all-female crew.
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2. Queen Rania of Jordan
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After marring the King of Jordan, Abdullah bin al-Hussein, Queen Rania did anything but take the backseat. Queen Rania has pushed for education reform, the creation of child abuse counseling centers, and has tirelessly fought to end “honor killings” – murders committed by men to punish sisters or daughters who have “dishonored” their families. Her reform isn’t just social, though: she also supports the micro-fund movement which provides financial assistance to budding entrepreneurs. (Side note: she also has a really great Instagram account)
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3. Chimamanda Adichie
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You might recognize her voice from Beyoncé’s “***Flawless,” in which Beyoncé includes a recorded excerpt from Adichie’s TEDtalk, “We Should All Be Feminists.” Adichie is a Nigerian novelist, nonfiction writer, and short story writer. After growing up in Nigeria and attending university there for a year and a half, she left Nigeria for the United States to study Communications and Political Science at Drexel, then transferring to Eastern Connecticut State University, where she graduated sum cum laude. Since college, she has obtained a master’s in creative writing from Johns Hopkins and a Master of Arts in African Studies from Yale.
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4. Rupi Kaur
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Rupi Kaur is female poet from India who now lives in Canada. You may recognize her from her short collection “Milk and Honey,” but her artwork also includes poetry, illustrating, and videography among many other things. All of her work is centered around the themes of femininity, love, loss, trauma, and healing. She, too, also has a great Instagram account, especially if you’re looking for words after this year’s election.
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5. Emma Watson
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(Or Hermione Granger, however you see her.) In all seriousness, Emma Watson has put her fame to good use. In 2014, she made headlines for her speech to the UN, to which she is a Goodwill Ambassador, “I Am A Feminist.” She is an advocate for fair trade, educational equality, and the UN Women’s HeForShe campaign.
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6. Stephanie Schriock
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Stephanie Schriock is the president of Emily’s List, an organization that strives to support women running for politics. Specifically, they try to promote pro-choice Democratic women to national, local, and state offices in order to drive change through all levels of the government. So far, they have achieved over 800 election victories, including those of candidates such as Elizabeth Warren.
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7. Sheryl Sandberg
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Sheryl Sandberg was the first woman to be elected to the Facebook board of directors, and now she currently serves as the Chief Operating Officer of Facebook. She also founded the LeanIn Foundation, which promotes the betterment and success of women in the hope of creating a better world for everyone.
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8. Amal Clooney
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Amal Clooney is in the process of taking ISIS to court. You read that right: Amal Clooney is taking ISIS to court. Representing her client Nadia Murad, Clooney is risking her own life and bringing a case against ISIS to protect and defend Murad. During the Yazidi genocide two years ago, Murad was sold as a sex slave to an ISIS commander, was abused, and still receives threats from the group.
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9. Ann Reiss Lane
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Ann Reiss Lane is the founder of the women’s gun violence prevention group, “Women Against Gun Violence” (WAGV). For 23 years, her organization has tirelessly worked to push legislation, foster awareness, and implement educational programs to keep women and children safe from gun violence. In recent years, WAGV launched The Talk Project, a campaign to communicate important messages about gun safety to children in Los Angeles and other school districts in Southern California.
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10. Hillary Clinton
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And we can’t forget about Hillary. There is no explanation needed.
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To everyone who cast a vote for Hillary on Tuesday: Thank you. Thank you for believing in the power of women and for supporting all of the efforts that these women work toward everyday. Thank you for reminding me that all of these women have not fought for naught and that while it seems like there is a hard, long road ahead, there are so many trailblazers ready to take it on with us.
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