Rachel Levine

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The drawn-out confirmation process of Rachel Levine, the first openly transgender federal official to be confirmed by the Senate, demonstrates not all of us are ready to accept that trans women are women. They are. No one should get to deny them what we all want: autonomy over our own bodies.

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Diana Trujillo

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Colombian aerospace engineer Diana Trujillo worked on the team that created the robotic arm to collect rock samples on Mars. She came to the US as a 17-year old with $300 and did not speak English. How can anyone overcome these tremendous obstacles and succeed? “I wanted my — especially the males of my own family — to recognize that women add value.”

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Dr. Kizzmekia Corbett

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When you get your Covid-19 vaccine, thank Dr. Kizzmekia Corbett. She helped develop the mRNA delivery method, lead preclinical studies, and now volunteers her time to do science outreach.

“I could never sleep at night if I developed anything — if any product of my science came out — and it did not equally benefit the people that look like me. Period.”

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Vice President Kamala Harris

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2021’s women’s history month would have felt different for Kamala Devi Harris alone. The first Black, Indian American woman to become Vice President of the United States made history personified for many. The first graduate from a historically Black university, the first member of the Alpha Kappa Alpha Black Greek Letter Sorority, and child of immigrant parents.

At the U.N. she told diplomats recently “the status of women is the status of democracy,” referencing Eleanor Roosevelt’s historic work.

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Debra Anne Haaland

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Debra Anne Haaland was just sworn as the new interior secretary. A member of the Laguna Pueblo tribe, Haaland is the first Native American cabinet secretary in US history. Donning clothing, boots, and accessories honoring her Native American heritage, we love how she skirted media objectification of women into an empowering message to Indigenous women.

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Helen Zia

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Helen Zia is co-founder of American Citizens for Justice, an Asian American nonprofit organization that provides victims of discrimination with legal resources. In 2008, she and her partner became one of the first same-sex couples to marry in California legally. The latest hate crime in Atlanta targeting Asian American women marks a year of racist abuse brought about by xenophobic stereotyping.

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