Meet 8 Influential Women of Our Generation
With March being National Women’s History Month, it’s important to remember the achievements of the many powerful women who continue to inspire us. Celebrating the women who fought for equality, justice, and fair opportunity, we want to honor their achievements. Here are some influential women from our generation who are actively fighting for a better world.
Nina Gualinga
Nina Gualinga is an indigenous rights activist who has dedicated her life's work to protecting the Amazon rainforest. Being from Ecuador, her heritage and family are essential to her work. Her family has always defended our Earth, and because of this, she loudly vocalizes issues of the land and people in the Amazon. Nina wishes Ecuador would not rely on fossil fuels and end contracts with major oil and mining companies.
Her dream is for others to respect and value the Amazon and its people over economic interest.
At 18, she represented indigenous youth before the Inter-American Court of Human Rights and helped win a landmark case against the Ecuadorian government for allowing oil drilling on indigenous lands. She is now an international advocate for indigenous rights and a fossil-free economy. She also received the 2018 WWF International President's Youth award in honor of recognizing young people who are already active in conserving the natural environment, achieving significant success and/or innovative approaches, and whose efforts are influencing and inspiring others.
Greta Thunberg
Greta Thunberg is a young and powerful environmental activist who advocates in numerous ways to help stop climate change. Her activism started as protests which gained momentum—more than 3 million people worldwide participated in Friday school strikes to protest against climate change. Greta demanded action for the planet and inspired many youth to join the cause.
Greta delivered an impactful speech to leaders at the UN summit, where she accused them of ignoring the climate crisis and destroying the generation's future with their empty promises. Greta is still actively protesting and donating to charitable organizations. She also published The Climate Book including 105 guest essays from notable scientists, journalists and fellow activists. She has also been nominated for several Nobel Peace Prize awards and was declared Person of the Year by Time Magazine at 16 years old.
The 20-year-old is a fearless activist who continues to make significant strides for a better environment and future.
Sofia Scarlat
Sofia Scarlat is an internationally recognized advocate for women and children's rights, gender-based violence, human trafficking prevention, sexual health and reproductive rights, and youth empowerment. Basically, she’s a fighter.
As a teenager, issues like gender-based violence and human trafficking influenced her to take on these problems. Though she is only 20 years old, she has accomplished a lot while earning her degree in Sociology.
Sofia is the founder and president of Romania's first gender equality organization for teenagers—Girl Up. This leadership development focuses on equity for women and girls in underrepresented spaces. Many initiatives regarding advocacy, research, and education are implemented to achieve a world-wide policy change to transform leaders and advance general justice.
She was also nominated for the International Children's Peace Prize and is a new UN Women Generation Equality Youth Task Force member.
Rachel Cargle
Rachel Cargle is an author, social entrepreneur, and public academic who uses her platform to focus on anti-racism activism. Her Instagram account — currently at 1.6 million followers —grew tremendously in recent years. She uses her account to provide consultation for corporations as well as guide conversations and meaningful engagement with people all over the world.
She creates content "that speaks to the white community, will affect the way white people show up in the world, and the way they interact with the black people they exist with.” says The New York Times.
After a successful GoFundMe campaign, Rachel created the Loveland Foundation. This organization aims to make mental healthcare accessible for black women. With over $250,000 raised, more than 300 black women and girls got access to private therapy sessions. The Loveland Foundation is a huge success and only continues to grow.
Jakomba Jabbie
Jakomba Jabbie started advocating for gender equality at only 16 years old. She's a strong activist regarding education for all girls in Gambia, especially in the science and technology field. At school, Jakomba noticed that many girls were not encouraged to pursue STEM careers. As someone who dreamed of being an aerospace engineer, she was greatly disappointed by the discouragement she felt from her school and family about her aspiring career. She decided to start a robotics club at school to show girls they could step out of their comfort zone and participate in science and technology activities.
When speaking at the UN Women event, Jakomba emphasized the importance of supporting girls and that, "Girls need to be told they can be anything they want to be." She now partners with the UN to empower girls to pursue fields where women are underrepresented.
Amanda Gorman
Amanda Gorman is a 25-year-old American poet. In 2017, she became the inaugural National Youth Poet Laureate — the youngest inaugural poet in US history yet. Born and raised in Los Angeles, Amanda started writing at a young age and was committed to her studies. In 2020, she graduated from Harvard University with a degree in Sociology.
Amanda uses her poetic talents to advocate for causes and promote her activist beliefs which address oppression, feminism, racial equality, and the African diaspora with critical thinking and hope. She has also written for the New York Times and released several books.
She’s also launched the One Pen, One Page charity organization, which is "elevating the voices of youth through writing and creativity." Her activism gained popularity, and media outlets like The Today Show, PBS Kids, CBS News, Vogue, and Essence featured her.
As Amanda Gorman says, "Poetry and language are often at the heartbeat of movements for change," and her work proves that to be right.
Rima Sultana Rimu
Rima Sultana Rimu is an activist who relentlessly fights to empower women and eliminate gender discrimination, violence, and child marriage in Bangladesh. In the Rohingya community, Rima noticed that women do not have the same right or opportunities as men. Many women in this community also cannot read or write, meaning they do not fully understand their rights and struggle to be economically free. Rima believes, "Teaching girls how to read and write is one of the biggest ways I can make a difference."
Women in Rohingya also face many problems in camps. Along with child marriage, harassment, and sexual violence, women don't have access to basic education. As a Young Women Leaders for Peace program member under the Global Network of Women Peacebuilders, she continues to fight for women's rights.
Marley Dias
Marley Dias is actively changing the face of children's literature with her campaign called #1000BlackGirlBooks. Growing up, Marley loved reading; however, she was tired of never relating to characters in stories and constantly seeing the lack of representation of women of color as the main characters. Due to this, at just 13 years old, she launched a campaign to collect and donate 1000 books featuring black girls as the main character.
This campaign was a huge success — Marley donated over 10,000 books and gained a lot of popularity and publicity. She spoke at The Forbes Women's Summit, United Nation's Girl Up, and the White House alongside Michelle Obama and Oprah. She also landed her own book deal — her books aim to teach people how to use social media for good and exploring activism.
All these women have used their platforms to help others, inspire, and start conversations revolving around the changes that need to happen for a bright future.
Who is one woman that has influenced you? Leave a comment below.