Woman have been trying to get equal rights since the 1800's and from then, there has been progress, but it should bot be taking this long. All we are asking for is to be seen in the same as a man, that's it. We aren't asking for more money than men, we aren't asking for more respect than men, and we aren't asking for more jobs than men. We only want the equality and what we deserve. We want to be seen as capabale, powerful, and determined women because that is what we are. Here are seven outstanding women in the public eye who are making big dents in the barrier put around women to keep us small:
Emma Watson is an English actress, women's rights activist, and Goodwill Ambassador. She has been speaking on this serious problem for many years now and has been trying to educate anyone she can on the fight she has been on, trying to get them to open their eyes and spread the word themselves. In 2014, she was appointed ambassador for the UN Women Goodwill international organization and launched something called "HeForShe," which is the start of including men in the conversation about gender equality. She even contributed to #metoo, a movement against sexual harassment and sexual assult, by giving one million euros to help those affected. As of right now, she is taking a break from acting and devoting her time to her activism. Watson says about all of this, “I feel uncomfortable taking up as much space as I’m taking up and not speaking about [politics and social justice],” she says. “It just doesn’t feel right anymore.”
Paola Mendoza is a film director, activist, author, and actress born in Bogotá, Colombia. She is a natural born leader and co-founded the women's march. Think about this: Mendoza went from being a Los Angeles gang member to being the march's artistic director. She says, “My community didn't have anything for me. I looked for something else that could provide me stability, money, community safety and protection. In my case, it turned out to be a gang." Mendoza went through some rough situations involving eviction, homelessness, and poverty and was introduced to gangs at the age of twelve. However, now she is very successful. She also works to bring the voices of women of color into this march, into this movement. She works to make this march a cultural movement not just a trend and I agree.
Linda Sarsour is an american award winning racial justice and civil rights activist, a community organizer, and a mother of three born and raised in Brooklyn. Sarsour was also one of the co-chairs of the biggest one day protest in U.S. history, the Women's march on Washington in 2017 and was also a part of the march in 2019. She has won numerous awards such as the Champion of Change from the Obama Administration and has been named one of five hundred of the most influential Muslims in the world.
Ida B. Wells was an American investigative journalist, early leader in the civil rights movement, and educator born in Holly Springs, Mississippi. Wells fought hard and with meaning for the right of all women to vote while she was facing her own problems like racism within the suffrage movement. Luckily, she was successful! On August 18, 1920, Congress consented to the 19th amendment to the U.S. Constitution giving women the right to vote. She has many books out, most about justice, fair treatment, and lynching. Wells even had an anti-lynching campaign to fight against a horrible problem. Sadly, she passed away March 25, 1931 in Chicago, Illinois.
Ellen Pompeo is an American actress and producer born in Everett, Massachusetts. Pompeo has spoken out on many important topics that day to day celebrities try to avoid. Recently, Pompeo has been fighting for equal pay and took her voice to any place that listened. She used said voice on the show she works on as "Meredith Grey'' in "Grey's Anatomy." One of her former male co-stars was getting paid almost double her pay in earlier seasons and they said it possibly was because he "had more experience under his belt" and starred in many TV pilots that never made it to air. She is the main character in the show hence "Grey's Anatomy," but a male co-star was still getting paid more. Pompeo couldn't let them stomp all over her anymore. "At one point, I asked for $5,000 more than him just on principle, because the show is 'Grey's Anatomy' and I'm Meredith Grey. They wouldn't give it to me," she told the publication. She said she could've walked away but didn't want to let "a guy drive [her] out of [her] own house." Pompeo tried to reach out to Patrick Dempsey, her former co-star, to join together and negotiate "but he was never interested," she said. Despite little to no support from many of the people around her in this industry who aren't encouraging friends, Pompeo is now one of the world's highest paid actors. She did that and uses her voice for other world-wide problems, “As Caucasian people, it’s our job, it’s our task,” she continued. “It’s our responsibility to make sure that we speak up in every single room we walk into . . . It’s our job because we’ve created the problem.” she said in a Net-A-Porter interview with three other amazing women.