Their StoryMexican painter known for vivid self-portraits drawing on her heritage, politics and body. Childhood polio and a near-fatal bus accident left her with lifelong pain, which became central subject matter rather than something hidden.Her letters and paintings are firmer ground than the quotes attributed to her.See Their Full Story
Their StoryDeaf sound artist whose work explores sound as a social and political construct rather than something she lacks access to. She performed an American Sign Language interpretation of the national anthem at Super Bowl LIV in 2020.Her TED talk 'The Enchanting Music of Sign Language' is a good primary-source starting point.See Their Full Story
“ As a deaf person living in a world of sound, it's as if I was living in a foreign country, blindly following its rules, customs, behaviors, and norms without ever questioning them. ”
Their StoryDeaf sound artist whose work explores sound as a social and political construct rather than something she lacks access to. She performed an American Sign Language interpretation of the national anthem at Super Bowl LIV in 2020.Her TED talk 'The Enchanting Music of Sign Language' is a good primary-source starting point.See Their Full Story
“ I truly believe American Sign Language is important because from the beginning, when a child is born, if they learn ASL, they have full access to information. ”
Their StoryDeaf sound artist whose work explores sound as a social and political construct rather than something she lacks access to. She performed an American Sign Language interpretation of the national anthem at Super Bowl LIV in 2020.Her TED talk 'The Enchanting Music of Sign Language' is a good primary-source starting point.See Their Full Story
“ I mostly have to think about identity when it's imposed on me. When people on the street send slurs my way. When forms require me to pick a gender. ”
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
ContextAdichie's own working definition of the word, from her widely shared TEDx talk.Read More: Black Literature
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
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
“ I am a woman who came from the cotton fields of the South. From there, I was promoted to the washtub. From there, I was promoted to the cook kitchen. And from there, I promoted myself into the business of manufacturing hair goods and preparations. ”
Widely credited to this person; primary source not yet confirmed.
ContextWalker's own summary of her path from field labour to building a business empire.
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
“ Industry and global institutions must appreciate that ensuring economic justice, equity and ecological integrity are of greater value than profits at any cost. ”
ContextMaathai on weighing ecological and economic justice above pure profit.Read More: Black Activism
Their StoryKenyan environmentalist and the first African woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize, in 2004. She founded the Green Belt Movement in 1977, which has since organised the planting of tens of millions of trees across Kenya, led largely by women. She died in 2011.Her memoir 'Unbowed' and her Nobel lecture are the fullest primary sources.See Their Full Story
Widely credited to this person; primary source not yet confirmed.
ContextRivera crediting drag queens and trans women at the front lines of Stonewall.Read More: LGBTQ+ Voices
Their StoryLatina transgender activist present at the 1969 Stonewall uprising, who co-founded STAR (Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries) with Marsha P. Johnson to house homeless queer and trans youth in New York. She died in 2002.Her 2001 speech, widely archived online, is a direct primary source.See Their Full Story
“ For the longest time I was trying to be white and fit in, that's also fine at some points in your life, I had to do that to survive in certain spaces. ”
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
