ContextFrom the memoir of the first Latina US Supreme Court Justice, on effort outweighing self-doubt.Read More: Latinx Voices
Their StoryThe first Latina and third woman to serve on the US Supreme Court, appointed in 2009. She grew up in a Bronx housing project, was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes as a child, and has written about both in her memoir.Her memoir 'My Beloved World' is the fullest primary source for her own story.See Their Full Story
“ I would hope that a wise Latina woman with the richness of her experiences would more often than not reach a better conclusion than a white male who hasn't lived that life. ”
ContextThe line that became a flashpoint in Sotomayor's Supreme Court confirmation hearings, on lived experience shaping judgment.Read More: Latinx Voices
Their StoryThe first Latina and third woman to serve on the US Supreme Court, appointed in 2009. She grew up in a Bronx housing project, was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes as a child, and has written about both in her memoir.Her memoir 'My Beloved World' is the fullest primary source for her own story.See Their Full Story
ContextSotomayor clarifying her 'wise Latina' remark during her confirmation hearing.Read More: Latinx Voices
Their StoryThe first Latina and third woman to serve on the US Supreme Court, appointed in 2009. She grew up in a Bronx housing project, was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes as a child, and has written about both in her memoir.Her memoir 'My Beloved World' is the fullest primary source for her own story.See Their Full Story
Widely credited to this person; primary source not yet confirmed.
ContextWalker on taking initiative rather than waiting to be given a chance.
Their StoryBorn Sarah Breedlove to formerly enslaved parents in Louisiana in 1867, she built a line of hair care products for Black women into a business empire, becoming widely regarded as the first self-made female millionaire in America. She employed thousands of Black women as sales agents.Biographies by her great-great-granddaughter A'Lelia Bundles are the fullest primary-adjacent sources.See Their Full Story
Their StoryNigerian novelist and essayist whose books, including 'Half of a Yellow Sun' and 'Americanah', are read worldwide. Her TEDx talk 'The Danger of a Single Story' and essay 'We Should All Be Feminists' brought her ideas to an audience well beyond literary fiction.'We Should All Be Feminists' is a short, direct entry point before the novels.See Their Full Story
Widely credited to this person; primary source not yet confirmed.
ContextBiles on taking risks, from a gymnast who reshaped her sport and spoke openly about athletes' mental health.Read More: Women in Sport
Their StoryAmerican gymnast and the most decorated gymnast in world championship history. At the Tokyo 2020 Olympics she withdrew from several events, citing her mental health and a disorientation known as 'the twisties', and returned to compete at the Paris 2024 Games.Her post-Tokyo and Paris interviews are the clearest primary sources for her own framing.See Their Full Story
Their StorySwedish climate activist who began a solitary school strike outside the Swedish parliament in 2018, aged 15, which grew into the global Fridays for Future movement. She is autistic and has spoken publicly about it as part of how she sees the climate crisis clearly.Her collected speeches, published as 'No One Is Too Small to Make a Difference', are a direct primary source.See Their Full Story
ContextFrom the same UN address, on how far gender equality still has to go everywhere.
Their StoryBritish actor who grew up on screen as Hermione Granger in the Harry Potter films before studying English literature at Brown University. In 2014 she was appointed a UN Women Goodwill Ambassador and launched the HeForShe campaign for gender equality.Her 2014 UN HeForShe speech is a direct primary source.See Their Full Story
“ Girls are capable of doing everything men are capable of doing. Sometimes they have more imagination than men. I don't have a feeling of inferiority. Never had. I'm as good as anybody, but no better. ”
Widely credited to this person; primary source not yet confirmed.
ContextWalker on decisiveness as a precondition for faith or guidance to help you at all.
Their StoryBorn Sarah Breedlove to formerly enslaved parents in Louisiana in 1867, she built a line of hair care products for Black women into a business empire, becoming widely regarded as the first self-made female millionaire in America. She employed thousands of Black women as sales agents.Biographies by her great-great-granddaughter A'Lelia Bundles are the fullest primary-adjacent sources.See Their Full Story
