5 Women Known for Modern Day Heroism.
Not all heroes wear capes and considering how difficult the times are, they really shouldn’t bother with that flashy inconvenience.
The issue of a woman’s security alone is a subsection of global problems that can keep any heroic figure busy.
In some parts of the world, demagogues are gaining more power and along with that comes the capacity for them to further push fascist policies like the ones that often interfere with a woman’s right to autonomy. In others, they have to deal with a growing number of men and women falling for extremist ideologies: some are promised a return to the antiquated era of male domination while some are lured by a shortsighted and malicious illusion of female security. And in almost every part of the world, they are confronted with physical and psychological harm.
But again, in this world of challenges, there are heroes and many of them rise from the oppressed. Among women, for instance, there are many who have chosen to stand up. And to this day, they remain standing. So much so that it is easy to cast a spotlight on them when we need examples of what heroes can truly look like.
Lina Khan
Lina Khan is the Chair of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). She is a British-born American who is a legal scholar. She became known for her position on monopolistic practices of big companies, and she strongly advocates antitrust enforcement.
Lina Khan believes that the current antitrust framework must be outdated to regulate the monopolistic behaviors of big tech companies such as Amazon, Google, Apple, and Facebook. She also pushes to maintain a healthy level of competition in the market. Too much monopoly can harm consumers, prevent innovation, and threaten democracy. She focuses on market price control and the bigger picture, including market power and its impact on small businesses and consumers. Platform neutrality is also one of her advocacies. This means that the dominant platforms cannot favor their products. This will level the playing field for all businesses in the market.
Khan was a founding member of the Open Markets Institute, a think tank that aims for fair market competition and tackles corporate concentration issues. The Open Markets Institute does research, gives reports, and promotes advocacy to influence decision-making on policies that are related to antitrust.
Among Khan’s most popular and influential contribution was her article “Amazon’s Antitrust Paradox,” from her 2017 Yale Law Journal. In this article, Khan critiques how the current antitrust state does not promote healthy competition, whereas Amazon utilizes aggressive pricing to drive rivals out of the market. As a result, Amazon gains more market share.
As the Chair of FTC, Khan has prioritized antitrust enforcement and has looked into mergers, particularly those of big tech firms. Under her leadership, the enforcement of antitrust has become more aggressive and is aimed at curbing the monopolizing practice of dominant market players.
Her ideas have influenced antitrust debate not only in the United States but also all over the world. Her advocacies have shaped the landscape of antitrust law.
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, also known as AOC, is an American politician and activist known for her progressive stance on numerous issues. She has represented the 14th Congressional District in New York in the US House of Representatives since 2019. She is a member of the Democratic Party and is known for being outspoken about her advocacy on social and economic issues.
She pushed for the Green New Deal. This aims to address climate change and promote economic equality. Green New Deal is pushing for no greenhouse gas emissions and creating high-paying jobs in the renewable energy sector. She is also an advocate of accessible healthcare. She wants to remove private health insurance by using single-payer healthcare that the government funds. AOC promotes economic justice through initiatives such as an increase in the minimum wage, support for labor unions, and a push for progressive taxation. Meanwhile, to fight homelessness, AOC supports initiatives that will make housing more affordable.
Currently, she advocates for police reform measures to address racism in the system, end mass incarcerations, and decriminalize offenses that are related to drugs. She also calls for the cancellation of student loan debts and tuition-free colleges. She believes that education should be accessible to everyone regardless of economic status.
AOC founded the Courage to Change Political Action Committee (PAC) in 2020. This organization supports progressive candidates facing financial barriers when running against established competition. The organization supports candidates who align with their values, thus diversifying the Democratic Party.
Antoinette Taus
Antoinette Taus is a Filipino-American actress, singer, and environmentalist. She is known for several significant contributions to both social and environmental causes. She started as a child star in various popular TV series in the Philippines but eventually focused on humanitarian work and environmental advocacy.
Taus is a Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) to raise awareness about climate change and marine pollution and promote sustainable development.
Taus founded a non-profit organization called CORA (Communities Organized for Resource Allocation) in 2016. This organization helps raise awareness about several environmental issues and helps the underprivileged. She also founded The Sustainable Planet, a social enterprise that aims to improve the livelihood of indigenous people and those who are in poverty in the Philippines.
Angela Davis
Angela Davis is an American political activist, author, professor, feminist, Marxist, and professor emerita at the University of California, Santa Cruz. She is known for her civil rights movement and work with the communist party.
Davis is popular for her role in freeing the Soledad Brothers, three African American inmates who were accused of killing a prison guard. Her involvement led to her arrest, an ordeal which became international news.
Despite several challenges, including getting fired from UCLA due to her views, she has remained consistent in her advocacy and beliefs. For instance, racial equality. She was involved with the Black Panther Party and Che-Lumumba Club. She pushed for civil rights and black liberation.
Davis believes that prison is a modern-day form of slavery. She wrote a book titled “Are Prisons Obsolete?” in 2003 that calls for eliminating the prison industrial complex and having an alternative form of justice. Davis deems that prison preys on racism and economic exploitation.
Davis also focused on gender and intersectionality, where racism can affect gender and race. She has written several books including, “Women, Race, and Class” (1981) and “Women, Culture, and Politics” (1989,) that are based on intersections of gender, race, and class.
Davis co-founded the Critical Resistance in 1997. This organization was established to abolish the prison-industrial complex. She has been the leading proponent in this movement to address racism and oppression in the justice system.
Malala Yousafzai
Malala Yousafzai is a female education activist and the youngest Nobel Peace Prize laureate. She advocates for the education of women and children and women’s rights.
Her reputation became more known after she survived a Taliban assassination due to her publicly known stance to fight for girls’ education in Pakistan, where the Taliban had banned girls from getting an education.
After several surgeries and rehabilitation, she established the Malala Fund with her father. It is a charity for every girl who wishes to study. This allows the girls to choose their future and receive quality and free education. The Malala Fund invests in educators in developing countries.
In 2015, Malala opened a girls’ school in Lebanon for the refugees of the Syrian Civil War.
Malala’s autobiography, co-authored with Christina Lamb, “I Am Malala: The Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Was Shot by the Taliban,” was translated into various languages and has become an inspiration globally.
Celebrating HerPWR to be a Hero
We celebrate HerPWR everyday. But today, we want to celebrate HerPWR to be a hero. Why? Because it is a challenging time to be a woman. At every direction, we are faced with opposition. But there are those who chose to meet the challenge anyway.
They walked the path before us. We can choose to follow or make our own path. But those who moved ahead can be seen these days on various forms of media, confirming that there is indeed solid ground to stand on.
We do not need special powers to fly if we want to get somewhere. And, we certainly don’t need a cape as a fabulous but useless accessory to wear. We only need to stand and move to our chosen direction.
