Every 9th of August we celebrate life, women and everything in between. National Women’s Day “marks the anniversary of the great women’s march of 1956, where [South African] women marched to the Union Buildings to protest against the carrying of pass books.” Challenging the idea that a woman’s place is in the kitchen, declaring it instead to be everywhere, the Federation of South African Women (FSAW / FEDSAW) along with 20 000 other attendees marched to the Union Buildings in Pretoria in protest against legislation on that monumental day in history.
This National Women’s Day 2017 we pay tribute to great women, so break out the confetti and pom-poms because this is our official list of wonder women from the beginning of time to present day.
Rosa Parks
Rosa Louise McCauley Parks (February 4, 1913 – October 24, 2005) aka the first lady of civil rights and the mother of the freedom movement, as so named by the United States Congress, is the original sass queen who forever coined the phrase “hell to the no” when she was asked to vacate her seat in the ‘coloured section’ of the bus for a white passenger. This small act of defiance had her arrested and thereafter prompted a city-wide boycott that forced the city to lift the law requiring segregation on public buses and thus catapulted her to international fame.
Frida Kahlo
Selfie queen and overcomer of the odds, Frida Kahlo de Rivera (born Magdalena Carmen Frida Kahlo y Calderón; July 6, 1907 – July 13, 1954) is widely celebrated for her surrealist and expressive works of art and self-portraiture which was inspired by Mexican pop art. Frida suffered much difficulty in her early life after contracting polio and being disabled at 6 years old and thereafter surviving an injury caused by a bus collision at 18. In spite of her disabilities, Frida went on to pursue her love of art and in doing so, became one of the most prominent figures in the feminist movement as well as the artistic world.
Malala Yousafzai
Possibly the youngest on our list, Malala Yousafzai (born 12 July 1997) is a Pakistani native and activist for female education. A true inspiration for young voices, Malala defied the Taliban and campaigned for girls to receive an education in Pakistan. “We realize the importance of our voices only when we are silenced,” she wrote in I Am Malala. After being shot in the head in 2012, she continued to have her say to advocate for female educational rights despite having a death threat issued against her. In 2014, she was nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize and won, becoming the youngest person to receive the accolade thus far. She was also featured as one of the most influential people globally by Time Magazine.
Winnie Madikizela-Mandela
Winnie Madikizela-Mandela (born Nomzamo Winifred Zanyiwe Madikizela on 26 September 1936) is the very definition of a ‘ride or die’. Having been married to Nelson Mandela for 38 years, including 27 years during which he was imprisoned, Winnie earned the title ‘Mother of the Nation.’ During her then-husband’s imprisonment, Winnie was responsible for representing him and “bringing word of his thoughts and his state of mind.” She was not only the wife to Madiba, however, she also held several government positions and is a member of the African National Congress’ National Executive Committee to this day.
Sources:
http://www.gov.za/womens-day
http://www.sahistory.org.za/dated-event/south-africa-celebrates-first-national-womens-day
https://www.biography.com/people/rosa-parks-9433715
https://www.biography.com/people/frida-kahlo-9359496
http://time.com/3822637/malala-yousafzai-2015-time-100/
https://www.biography.com/people/malala-yousafzai-21362253
http://www.sahistory.org.za/people/winnie-madikizela-mandela
