Honoring Trailblazing Women
It’s time to celebrate the impact women have had on American history and the world. Has it only been since 1987 that we’ve acknowledged women’s contributions to history, culture, and society?
There are so many amazing women who deserve recognition. If we had the time, we could fill pages with wonderful examples of the women who have done great work. We have a few to share with you this year.
Join us as we meet some Trailblazing Women:
Malala Yousafzai continues to fight for the rights of girls to go to school. She grew up in Pakistan when girls were not permitted to attend school. She wrote a blog when she was 11 years old and spoke out to encourage girls to be allowed to be educated.
When she was 15, she was shot in the head by the Taliban as she returned from school. She recovered and continued her education in the UK and went on to win a Nobel Peace Prize.
She is quoted as saying, “One child, one teacher, one book can change the world.”
Katherine Johnson was a mathematician who worked in the space program. During her 33 years in a segregated workplace, she participated in the first human spaceflight and ran calculations for John Glenn’s orbital mission.
She was the first woman in her division to receive credit for writing a research report and went on to author or coauthor 26 more. She received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2015 from former President Obama.
Our final entry in 2025 is the author and philanthropist MacKenzie Scott. Following her divorce from Jeff Bezos, she was awarded a significant amount of money. She, along with other wealthy people signed the Giving Pledge which committed her to give away at least half of her wealth. As of this point in time, she has given away over 170 billion dollars to over 2,300 nonprofits.
Not only has she given away a huge amount of money, but she does it with “no strings attached.” The organizations she gives to have full control over how best to use the money.
She is currently #9 on the Forbes Power Women list and #26 on the Fortune 400 list of the wealthiest women.
Join us next week for more amazing women.