ICYMI: Grist officially decided to take over Woman Crush Wednesday, so from here on out, we’ll be delivering a weekly roundup of women in the news straight to you. Because who doesn’t like to read about women kicking ass and taking names when it comes to science, activism, agriculture, and climate change? Swoon.
This past Sunday, March 8, was International Women’s Day — though it’s worth mentioning that because of Daylight Savings in the good ol’ US of A, we couldn’t even get a whole 24 hours to celebrate womanhood. Typical. To make up for that, we hope you take an hour today to relax and enjoy our WCW roundup for this week — ladies, you deserve it!
Here’s who we’ve been crushing on this week:
- Danielle Deane, director of the Green 2.0 initiative, which just released a study highlighting the need for greater diversity within the environmental movement. Most of the 300 environmental organizations surveyed across the country were largely white, the study found, with people of color making up at most 16 percent of staff. (New American Media)
- Chai Jing, whose documentary, Under the Dome, investigates how air pollution across China impacts health. Her film became an overnight sensation when it was released last week — until Chinese government officials removed it from the internet. (The Guardian)
- Susana Molina, aka Oveja Negra (Black Sheep), a Mexican rapper who spits verses on women’s justice issues. Be sure to check out the other women profiled for International Woman’s day, like Oumaima Erhali, a 17-year-old Moroccan woman who wants to get more Muslim women on surfboards, while you’re at it. (AJ+)
- Zahra Haghani, the 27-year-old Iranian woman and physics phenom who could be well on her way to becoming the next Einstein. Try to wrap your noggin around her gravitational theory here. (Forbes)
- Donna Brazile, the Rev. Leah D. Daughtry, Minyon Moore, Yolanda H. Caraway, and Tina Flournoy: five politicos who call themselves the “Colored Girls.” For almost 30 years, these women have been behind-the-scenes powerhouses in Democratic politics, working as lead consultants for presidential campaigns and holding senior roles at the Democratic National Committee — all while pushing for more minority inclusion in politics. Right on. (The New York Times)
- Maia Weinstock, deputy editor at MIT News, who created a custom set of Legos representing each woman on the Supreme Court. Coined the Legal Justice League, the set includes sitting Supreme Court Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Sonia Sotomayor, and Elena Kagan, plus Sandra Day O’Connor, the Court’s first female Justice, who retired in 2006. (Business Insider)
Stay tuned for next week’s roundup!
