8 Women Changemakers You Should Be Following

March 19, 2024
This story took place in United States

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March is Women’s History Month. Women have been and are continuing to make history, so this month, we want to highlight nine young women making a difference in their own unique way.  Check them out below and help us to celebrate women from all walks of life throughout March and beyond:

Julieta Martinez
Julieta, 18, is a Chilean youth activist engaging in work surrounding the issues at the intersection of climate and gender equality. She founded a nonprofit, The Tremendas Collaborative platform, to similarly encourage other people to do the same. She also works in collaboration with the UN on the UN Generation Youth Equality Task Force. For more information on Julieta, check out more information on the Tremendas Collaborative platform here.  

Beth Evans
Want some cute (and motivational!) mental health content on your Instagram feed?  Look no further than Beth Evans’ instagram account. Her comics have reached more than 500,000 people on instagram alone and been turned into physical planners and diaries for you to hold in your own hands.  To check out her work, follow her on Instagram or learn more via Linktree.  

 

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Lucy Edwards
Lucy Edwards, a  BBC 1 Radio broadcaster, author, content creator, and a disability rights activist from the U.K. is on a mission to change the way the world views blindness. In addition to being the first blind Radio Broadcaster in the U.K., she uses her content creation skills to break down the misconceptions about blindness to make the world a more inclusive place for all. Check out her book here or follow her on Instagram or TikTok.  

Malavika Kannan 
Malavika, a 22-year old self identified “advocate for South Asian queer women, online and IRL” is an activist, writer and author.  Her book, All the Yellow Suns, was called “an achy, stunning coming-of-age story of activism and identity, family and belonging” by Teen Vouge, and her writing has also appeared in The Washington Post and the Huffington Post on various topics including Asian representation in media, combating Asian hate as a member of Gen Z, and gun control reform. Learn more about All the Yellow Suns and be sure to follow Malavika on Instagram.

Amanda Gorman
You might know Amanda as the stunning poet that spoke at the 2020 presidential inauguration, but she has continued to make a name for herself in other ways: her poetry book, Call Us What We Carry, won a Grammy and her children’s book, “Something, Someday” became a bestseller.  She has continued her work with the UN and spoke out against book bans after her own book, The Hill We Climb, was banned.  And in a recent performance promoting What We Carry on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert, her words were fitting: “For what we carry if not for who and most for?”  You can follow her on Instagram here.

 

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Dior Vargas
Dior’s work as a Latina mental health activist started in mental health after her own experience: she was diagnosed with mental illnesses including PTSD and persistent depressive disorder and attempted suicide.  She then realized how little representation there was around BIPOC individuals with mental illness, and sought to make a change by launching The People of Color and Mental Illness photo project, inviting BIPOC individuals to share their stories with mental health and later turning it into a book.  She is now a speaker who has done work for the Biden Harris administration and the Human Rights campaign, among other organizations. Follow Dior on Instagram or submit your story to The People of Color and Mental Illness Photo Project. 

 

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Amanda N. Nguyen
Amanda is a civil rights activist who campaigns to end anti-Asian hate and sexual violence.  She successfully helped to re-write the law in the United States Congress for victims of sexual assault, helping to pass the Sexual Assault Survivors’ Rights Act in 2016.  Additionally, she founded her own NGO, Rise, a civil rights organization that seeks to “help anyone that has the vision and drive to pen their own rights into existence.”  She was also named Time’s “Woman of the Year” in 2022.  For more information on Amanda, follow her on Instagram here or TikTok here.  

@amandangocnguyen

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♬ original sound – Amanda Nguyen

Maya Nussbaum
Maya Nussbaum is the founder of the nonprofit Girls Write Now (also a Channel Kindness partner!).  The organization is founded on the pillars of writing, equity, mentoring, and wellness, and serves women and girls and seeks to “mentor and train the next generation of women writers and leaders of life.” Check out Maya discussing the power of reading in  segment of NBCUniversal’s The More You Know below and be sure to check out opportunities to volunteer with Girls Write Now

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