In honor of International Women’s Day last Thursday where the nation came together to support women’s rights and the achievement throughout years of women. Some women activists helped shape the women’s rights movement to what it is today.

Susan B. Anthony

Susan B. Anthony started to help women’s suffrage when she was 17 and brought up the idea that women can not vote in 1848. Anthony established the National Woman Suffrage Association with the help of Elizabeth Cady Stanton, who fought for women’s suffrage for 72 years with Anthony. The Women suffrage association that Anthony created was made to cause an amendment based on the right to vote for women. Eventually the movement became nationally recognized and Anthony got arrested. 14 years after she died, the amendment was ratified and women were able to vote. The movement showed other women that they could make a difference and that they could be equal.

Emma Watson

Emma Watson is mostly known by people for her popular roles in the Harry Potter movies series, but she’s also a women’s advocate and uses her status as a platform to spread the message of equality. Watson helped women’s rights by creating the HeForShe campaign, for men who advocate for women’s rights. She also became the United Nations Women Goodwill ambassador, that promotes education for girls and visiting other countries to spread the message in July 2014. Using media along with the status and platform has made it is easier to get her word out on her opinions on women’s rights and other controversial issues. Watson also travels around countries to give speeches about women’s rights.

Malala Yousafzai

Malala is mostly known for her biography “I am Malala: The Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Was Shot by the Taliban” and for standing for the right to have education. Malala grew up in Pakistan and demanded that women have the ability to have education. The Taliban started to attack her school, which her father founded when she was younger. In September 2008, she gave a speech in Peshawar, Pakistan, and her title was “How dare the Taliban take away my basic right to education.” Being an advocate for women’s education at a young age resulted in having multiple threats from the Taliban. In October 2012, when she was 15 years old, a Taliban gunman shot Malala in the head on her way home from school. She now continues to tell her story and advocate women’s rights. For all of Malala’s accomplishments, in 2014 she became the youngest recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize at 17 years old.