“ I hope it's a bit of a love letter to everyone who feels different, who feels out of place, to all of the Black women who have walked into rooms and felt like they haven't been welcomed. ”
“ I remember when I decided to be open about my own personal mental health, it was scary to be that vulnerable and I didn't ever want anyone to think I am a victim. I thought by sharing my own story I could help others. ”
“ I'm trying to take the stigma off the word ambitious, so we encourage more little girls to be ambitious, because I do think that's how society will change. ”
EntertainmentMale Role ModelsHe / Him · Pronounced: FRED ROJ-erz
He / Him · Pronounced: FRED ROJ-erz
Source: Widely attributed to Rogers; exact original context to be confirmed · original link to be verified
Widely credited to this person; primary source not yet confirmed.
ContextRogers spent decades modelling gentleness and patience to children on Mister Rogers' Neighborhood, at a time when that wasn't seen as a masculine trait.
“ Stop talking about it. I'm going to stop calling you a white man. And I'm going to ask you to stop calling me a black man. I know you as Mike Wallace. You know me as Morgan Freeman. ”
EntertainmentMale Role ModelsDisabledHe / Him · Pronounced: KRIS-tuh-fer REEV
He / Him · Pronounced: KRIS-tuh-fer REEV
Source: Still Me, autobiography · original link to be verified
ContextReeve, paralysed after a horse-riding accident in 1995, redefining heroism away from physical feats and towards endurance.Read More: Disability Rights
“ If I was being 'sold' as a commodity of equal value to my male counterpart and worked as hard as him, I couldn't reconcile why I wasn't being remunerated equally. ”
Widely credited to this person; primary source not yet confirmed.
ContextBlanchett explaining why she walked away from a job over unequal pay.
Their StoryAustralian actor and two-time Academy Award winner who has been outspoken about pay equity in the film industry. She has served as a UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador since 2016, advocating for refugees.Her UNHCR field reports and interviews are the fullest primary sources for that side of her work.See Their Full Story
Widely credited to this person; primary source not yet confirmed.
ContextBaker, an entertainer who became a civil-rights figure and wartime Resistance agent, on a life given to performance.Read More: LGBTQ+ Voices
Their StoryMissouri-born entertainer who became one of France's most celebrated performers, taking Paris by storm in the 1920s. During the Second World War she worked with the French Resistance, smuggling coded messages hidden in her sheet music, and was later awarded the Croix de guerre. In 1963 she stood on the podium at the March on Washington as the only official female speaker.Her memoirs and the biography by Jean-Claude Baker are the fullest primary sources.See Their Full Story
“ If we truly envision an equal world, it takes equal effort and sacrifice. Today is one of the most indelible days of my life because of Mark Wahlberg, WME and a community of women and men who share in this accomplishment. ”
