Women are fighting tirelessly for their rights and using their creativity to change the world around them. Here are four women who shined last week.
Michelle Obama, First Lady:
Michelle Obama joined forces with former Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard, actress Charlize Theron and 16-year-old activist Nurfahada as part of the White House’s “Let Girls Learn” initiative aimed at empowering girls through education. The First Lady stressed that education is the key to women’s success and to building stronger communities.
Cecile Richards, Planned Parenthood president:
Richards appeared before the House Oversight Committee to explain the role of fetal tissue research and challenge recent Republication allegations against the group. "The outrageous accusations leveled against Planned Parenthood based on heavily doctored videos are offensive and categorically untrue,” Richards said to the committee. “I realize, though, that the facts have never gotten in the way of these campaigns to block women from health care they need and deserve.”
Mimi Lien, set designer:
The MacArthur Fellows Program, which supports creative leaders in an array of fields, awarded one of its annual MacArthur “Genius Grants” to Lien for her exemplary work in set design for theater, opera and dance. Other 2015 MacArthur Fellows include neuroscientist Beth Stevens, writer Ta-Nehisi Coates, economist Heidi Williams and dancer and choreographer Michelle Dorrance.
Lena Dunham, actress:
HBO’s “Girls” star Lena Dunham teamed up with showrunner Jenni Konner to launch Lenny Letter, a feminist culture and politics newsletter. Lenny Letter will arrive in inboxes twice a week – delivering news, essays and interviews to its readership. In its debut, Lenny Letter featured an interview with Hillary Clinton. Dunham and Konner launched the newsletter “to make the world better for women and the people who love them.”
Laura Dunn specializes in content creation, social media and bespoke PR, and works with brands, organizations and individuals in both the USA and the UK. Laura started blogging in 2008, when she created her blog Political Style. Laura writes for The Huffington Post, Fortune and many other publications. You can follow her on Twitter here: @lauraemilyd.