In honor of Women’s History Month, we asked- Who is Your Shero? This week, we’re highlighting some of the influential women who have made a difference in our own lives, and to society at large. Read on as we highlight some favorites elevated by people across the network, along with book recommendations, podcasts, and more! 

Ruth Bader Ginsburg, mourned by so many of us last year, was also celebrated by Angie Gibbs in one of her daily Women’s History Month emails to her colleagues at CV HS. Ginsburg was the first Jewish woman to serve on the Supreme Court and the second woman overall. She was also the first  woman to be a tenured professor at Harvard Law.   While she had many personal accomplishments, she worked hard for women’s rights and equality among men and women.  Her efforts ensured that humans who identify within the gender binary receive equitable treatment. Just two examples- thanks to RBG, women can have their own credit cards and purchase a home. While much has been written and said about this remarkable trailblazer for women’s rights, you can catch her talking here about equal rights in February of 2020.

Louise Hay is known as one of the founders of the self-help movement. While her upbringing was full of struggle and torment, it informed her positive life philosophy that has helped countless others. Early on in her prolific writing career, she was making the essential connection between the mind and the body. Her bestseller You Can Heal Your Life  is a must read, arguing the link between thoughts and disease, and encouraging readers that no matter the misfortune, there is almost always a positive way to spin that challenge. In today’s world, success and prosperity is often viewed as a zero-sum game. Louise Hay’s emphasis on abundance and positivity is a refreshing perspective.  You can get to know her in this interview with Queen (and shero) Oprah Winfrey here. 

Dolores Huerta Co-founder of the United Farm Workers Association with Cesar Chavez, she is one of the most influential labor activists of the 20th century and a leader of the Chicano civil rights movement. Through her tireless, groundbreaking work, she helped many immigrant farm workers, notably by organizing strikes and creating a union to help establish their rights, and inspired many women along the way. She is the originator of the rallying cry “Sí, se puede” and at 89, continues to fight for the working poor, women, and children. In this TED Radio Hour episode, Huerta shares how all of us can use our voice to help affect social change.   

Ellen Ochoa became the first Hispanic woman to go to space in 1993.Ochoa joined NASA in 1988 as a research engineer at Ames Research Center and moved to Johnson Space Center in 1990 when she was selected as an astronaut.  She has flown in space four times, including STS-66, STS-96 and STS-110, logging nearly 1,000 hours in orbit. Ochoa has been recognized with NASA's highest award, the Distinguished Service Medal, and the Presidential Distinguished Rank Award for senior executives in the federal government. She has received many other awards and is especially honored to have six schools named for her. You can listen to her speak on many things, including why it’s important to sometimes disagree with the boss, on the Wisdom from the Top podcast. 

Jeannette Rankin (1880-1973), described as an “underrated badass” by Noah Stout, Senior Counsel for Public Policy & External Affairs, hailed his home state of Montana. Rankin briefly worked as a social worker in New York and Washington state before joining the women’s suffrage movement and becoming a prominent lobbyist for the National American Woman Suffrage Association. A talented and passionate public speaker, Rankin made over 6,000 speeches around the world in her lifetime, about women’s suffrage, worker’s rights, and peace. After helping Montana women win the vote in 1914, she became the first woman elected to the U.S. Congress, where she championed legislation to protect children’s rights and women’s rights, including introducing what later became the 19th Amendment, which secured women the right to vote nationwide in 1920. Learn more about Jeannette Rankin on the Fierce podcast.

Greta Thunberg, environmental activist and Time’s 2019 Person of the Year, inspires the young and old with her fearless voice. In August 2018, Greta Thunberg started a school strike for the climate outside the Swedish Parliament that has since spread all over the world, sparking the Fridays for Future movement. Thunberg has spoken at climate rallies in Stockholm, Helsinki, Brussels and London. In December 2018 she attended the United Nations COP24 in Katowice, Poland, where she addressed the Secretary-General and made a plenary speech that went viral and was shared many million times around the globe. In January 2019, she was invited to the World Economic Forum in Davos where her speeches again made a worldwide impact. Thunberg tries to live a low-carbon life, and is vegan and doesn't fly. 

Cicely Tyson is another shero celebrated by Angie Gibbs at CV HS. Reading Tyson’s autobiography, Just as I Am, Angie was brought to tears and then joyous triumphant glee with every turn of the page.  Despite witnessing the domestic terror and violence her mother faced, despite being told that she couldn’t graduate from high school in the last 4 months of her senior year because she was pregnant (an unfair consequence that was NOT given to the child’s father) Cicely rose to be one of the most influential women in cinema.  Her goal?  Representation. She says, “ …I made a conscious decision:  I would use my profession as my platform—a stage from which to make my voice heard by carefully choosing my projects and portrayals.  I could not afford the luxury of simply being an actress…..as an artist with the privilege of the spotlight, I felt an enormous responsibility to use that forum as a force for good, as a place from which to display the full spectrum of our humanity.  My art had to both mirror the times and propel them forward.  I was determined to do all I could to alter the way Black women in particular were perceived, by reflecting our dignity.”

Serena Williams: Athlete, businesswoman, and unstoppable force, she inspires us all with her determination and vast achievements. Manager of Student Recruitment Brittnee Merritt is amazed by the challenges she has had to overcome as a Black woman in the realm of athletics, specifically tennis. Humble and fun, she has used her platform to start a business that supports women of all colors. She is also a mother, and her documentary Being Serena shows the level  of determination and courage she possessed to go through a harrowing pregnancy and delivery, and then fight her way back to the athletic prowess that continuously impresses.  You can also read more about her life in her autobiography, Queen of the Court. 

Malala Yousafsi: Born in Pakistan, Malala made waves in her small town after publicly speaking out against the Taliban in 2012 on behalf of all girls and their right to learn. Soon after, she was shot on the bus on her way home from school. Waking up ten days later in England, she began her new life as a refugee with her family, and later received a Nobel Peace Prize for her work with the Malala Fund, dedicated to giving every girl an opportunity for education. At 14, she was the youngest Nobel laureate. Graduating from Oxford in 2020, her activism on behalf of girls worldwide is just beginning. You can watch her TEDTalk here.