Women Making History

5 Powerful Movements Started by Women

Happy Women’s History Month, #Firestarters! I hope you’ve taken some time during March to celebrate the women who inspire you — and to be an inspiration to other women.

When you look at the movements that have reshaped our world over the past few years, you will find women at the forefront of many of them. Here are just a few examples.

#MeToo and 2. Time’s Up. These two related movements have helped change the conversation around sexual harassment and assault.

Activist Tarana Burke started the #MeToo movement in 2007. A decade later, both famous women and women from other walks of life began sharing their experiences with sexual assault and harassment using #MeToo. The hashtag went viral and spread awareness of how sadly common these experiences are.

Like the spread of #MeToo, Time’s Up emerged in the wake of allegations against producer Harvey Weinstein, who was recently convicted of third-degree rape and first-degree sexual assault. Started by women in the entertainment industry, Time’s Up works to make sure that everyone has the resources to fight back against sexual assault and harassment. Time’s Up has a legal defense fund and provides volunteer lawyers.

Moms Demand Action. After the 2012 shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School, Shannon Watts knew she had to do something about gun violence. She started a Facebook group that grew into Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America. The organization advocates for responsible gun storage, updated background checks and disarming domestic abusers. In 2013, Moms Demand Action became part of Everytown for Gun Safety.

Together Rising. It’s a sad reality that the headlines these days often break our hearts. Author Glennon Doyle founded Together Rising as a way for people to turn that heartbreak into action. One way the organization makes a difference is through Love Flash Mobs: “fundraisers in which thousands of strangers give in order to meet a particular need in a matter of hours.” Recently Together Rising donated to support relief efforts after devastating tornadoes in Tennessee.

#1000BlackGirlBooks. It’s never too early to become a #Firestarter. When she was just 11, Marley Dias noticed that the books available to her to read in school never seemed to feature black girls like her. So Marley decided to change that. She launched a movement called #1000BlackGirlBooks. The goal was to collect and donate 1,000 books featuring black girls as main characters. But she surpassed that goal many times over. And today kids who want to read a book about a black girl can choose Marley’s very own story.

These examples only scratch the surface when it comes to the powerful movements women are creating. Love stories like these? Then I’ve got two requests for you:

1) Tell me about your favorite female #Firestarters. You can drop a comment below or post it on Facebook.

2) Pre-order my book “Find Your Fire.” In its pages, you’ll meet more extraordinary women who are on missions to transform the world, and you’ll learn from their no-nonsense advice. I’ll also give you my proven tools to turn the vision for your own movement into a reality.

Now that March has us fired up, let’s go spend the rest of the year making history!