Originally published on Sphinx Student News* as part of our celebration of International Women's Day 2018.
7 WOMEN TO INSPIRE YOUR INNER ACTIVIST
Posted by Anna Scott | Mar 16, 2018 | Editor's Pick, Opinion
In honour of International Women’s Day, let's celebrate some revolutionary, empowering and down-right incredible women. Perhaps the world's only list containing both Bette Davis and Princess Sophia Duleep Singh, these seven women are connected by their continuous commitments to improve the lives of others.
Malala Yousafzai (1997 – present)
To kick off the list let’s turn to 20-year old Malala Yousafzai. At the age of 11, when many of us were still dabbling in the world of make believe, Malala was writing for BBC Urdu. Her account of life in Pakistan under Taliban occupation caught the attention of the New York Times. Her brave activism also put her on the Taliban's radar, leading to her attempted assassination in 2012. Malala was flown to Birmingham to recover and has now settled in the UK.
Her brush with death has not deterred Malala from educational activism. She set up the Malala fund, campaigning for the right of all children to receive an education. Her work received global recognition when she became the youngest person to ever receive a Nobel Peace Prize, she truly is incredible! It is almost certain that the world will see more of Malala Yousafzai who is currently set to graduate from Oxford University in 2020.
Jo Cox (1974 – 2016)
Tragically murdered in June 2016 while working as an MP, Jo Cox’s energy and integrity in all that she did, remain a source of inspiration. Before her life as an MP, she worked as Head of Policy and Advocacy at Oxfam, often travelling abroad to offer humanitarian aid. Jo was strongly opposed to British Involvement in the Syrian civil war, leading her to set up the parliamentary group, Friends of Syria. Throughout her career she advocated for refugee and displaced people with conviction. Perhaps it was her deep concern for other's, not just in the UK but abroad, that prompted her killer to shout 'Britain First'.
After her death, her husband Brendan Cox wrote the book ‘More in Common’. Upon each page, Jo’s zest for life is apparent. Her personal life seemed as inspiring as her professional. They lived on a canal boat, raised two lovely children and Jo even climbed a mountain whilst pregnant. This book is definitely worth a read!
Princess Sophia Duleep Singh (1876 – 1948)
The term ‘Suffragette’ tends to invoke images of petticoated, white women breaking windows in a manner reminiscent of the mother in Mary Poppins. Sophia Duleep Singh reminds us that this image is not representative of the suffrage movement. Born into Indian royalty, the Princess didn’t let her lofty upbringing stop her activism. She disagreed that women paid tax to the government while unable to vote on their leadership. Upon moving to London, she led the women’s tax resistance league and funded many female activist groups. Sophia took over from Emmeline Pankhurst as president of the Committee of Suffragette Fellowship in 1928 to continue the fight. Her life in London, although far from her royal existence in India, was full of achievements and should be more actively celebrated.
Bette Davis (1908 – 1989)
Remembered mostly for her perpetual chain-smoking and legendary feud with Joan Crawford, Bette Davis’ fiery convictions are sometimes forgotten. She was instrumental in bringing down the restrictive contract system of old Hollywood. Furious not to have one iota of freedom over her casting or working hours, Bette took Warner Brother’s to court. Although she lost the case, a precedent was set. Several other actors followed in her footsteps, fighting until working conditions improved.
Bette was a strong defender of Black Rights. During WW2 she set up the Hollywood Canteen to entertain visiting service men. Amid strong opposition, she insisted that there should be no segregation in the club. Thanks to her determination, BAME service men were able to enjoy a break from the war effort.
Jacinda Ardern (1980 – Present)
When 37-year old Jacinda Ardern was elected as the new Labour PM of New Zealand in 2017, she was declared the youngest ever female world leader. Raised as a Mormon, Jacinda acted with her principles, deciding to leave the church over their views of same sex marriage. Now in office, she is working to tackle climate change, increase New Zealand’s refugee intake and to reduce child poverty, all the while pregnant with her first baby.
As if Jacinda isn’t already cool enough, before her political career she used to work as a DJ. She performed at several festivals, notably Laneway in Auckland in 2014. Imagine saying you'd seen the Prime Minister's set! Now that would be a serious flex.
Harriet Tubman (1822 – 1913)
Born into enslavement in 19th century America, it wasn’t until 1849 that Harriet Tubman managed to escape her harsh existence. Once free, she returned to her captive home repeatedly to liberate others. She used safe houses to smuggle nearly 70 people to freedom.
When the American civil war dawned, Harriet saw it as a chance to abolish slavery for good. It wasn’t long before she was involved on the side on the Union, first as a nurse, then as a scout. In 1863 she became the first women to lead an armed assault during the civil war. Her efforts were rewarded; 750 people were freed from enslavement following the raid! She is remembered today for her incredible work to improve civil rights and bring equality to a racially divided America.
Deborah Francis-White (birth year not online, but hardly relevant anyway!)
The podcast ‘The Guilty Feminist’ is your one-stop-shop to learn how to be a better feminist. Deborah Francis-White hosts the show, inviting guests to speak about their feminist hypocrisies and meaningful work. Deborah achieves the perfect balance between humour and serious, somehow making topics such as Weinstein, sexism and democracy easy listening! She strongly advocates that people should use their privilege rather than be ashamed by it, believing that action is the hallmark of a champion feminist. You are guaranteed to hear a new perspective on 'The Guilty Feminist' . It this commitment to amplifying the voices of others that make Deborah's work shine with integrity. What are you waiting for, plug in your headphones and give it a listen.
Feeling inspired? Maybe Harriet Tubman has led you to research modern day slavery. Perhaps Jo Cox has reignited your commitment to a refugee charity. Whatever it may be, act on that feeling before it evaporates. Reading this article is all well and good but the best celebration of International Women's Day would be to help someone else to do the same.
*Sphinx Student News is no longer a web domain. This is due to a merger all of student media societies at University of Liverpool to form Liverpool Guild Student Media. As existing articles were not transferred to the new platform, the original article is not available online. I am posting older articles on Written By Anna as a means of recording my past work.