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My Favorite Women – October

I’m writing this in the Nashville airport at 5am. My flight has been delayed two hours and Real Housewives of Orange County won’t load, so here we are! I’m rolling out another list of incredible women that did some really cool things in October.

1. Alyssa Milano

Alyssa Milano recorded a video in January for her daughter, addressing the #MeToo movement and sharing her own story. This past month, Milano shared that video with the public on the one year anniversary of tweeting, #MeToo herself. Talk about vulnerability, people! Too often women are criticized for showing too much emotion or being “too emotional”, but Milano didn’t hesitate. Since sharing her story, she has advocated for survivors of sexual assault relentlessly. To watch the video, click here.

2. Rihanna

My queen. Rihanna does it again. After being asked to perform at the Super Bowl, the superstar passed on the opportunity to stand in solidarity with Colin Kaepernick and the #BlackLivesMatter movement.

3. Taylor Swift

I have never been a Swiftie (and probably never will be) BUT, I was proud of “American’s Sweetheart” for finally stepping out and speaking her mind when it came to politics. She encouraged others to vote and even caused a spoke in voter registration in the state of Tennessee. What a time to be alive. You can read Taylor’s full statement below!

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I’m writing this post about the upcoming midterm elections on November 6th, in which I’ll be voting in the state of Tennessee. In the past I’ve been reluctant to publicly voice my political opinions, but due to several events in my life and in the world in the past two years, I feel very differently about that now. I always have and always will cast my vote based on which candidate will protect and fight for the human rights I believe we all deserve in this country. I believe in the fight for LGBTQ rights, and that any form of discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender is WRONG. I believe that the systemic racism we still see in this country towards people of color is terrifying, sickening and prevalent. I cannot vote for someone who will not be willing to fight for dignity for ALL Americans, no matter their skin color, gender or who they love. Running for Senate in the state of Tennessee is a woman named Marsha Blackburn. As much as I have in the past and would like to continue voting for women in office, I cannot support Marsha Blackburn. Her voting record in Congress appalls and terrifies me. She voted against equal pay for women. She voted against the Reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act, which attempts to protect women from domestic violence, stalking, and date rape. She believes businesses have a right to refuse service to gay couples. She also believes they should not have the right to marry. These are not MY Tennessee values. I will be voting for Phil Bredesen for Senate and Jim Cooper for House of Representatives. Please, please educate yourself on the candidates running in your state and vote based on who most closely represents your values. For a lot of us, we may never find a candidate or party with whom we agree 100% on every issue, but we have to vote anyway. So many intelligent, thoughtful, self-possessed people have turned 18 in the past two years and now have the right and privilege to make their vote count. But first you need to register, which is quick and easy to do. October 9th is the LAST DAY to register to vote in the state of TN. Go to vote.org and you can find all the info. Happy Voting! 🗳😃🌈

A post shared by Taylor Swift (@taylorswift) on Oct 7, 2018 at 4:33pm PDT

My Favorite Women – May

I don’t understand how we’re already into the sixth month of the year, but here we are I guess! As you’ve (hopefully) seen, each month I like to take a look back at women who accomplished some great things during the previous 30 (or so) days. So since it’s ALREADY June, let’s take a look back at some cool ladies from May!

Continue reading “My Favorite Women – May”

My Favorite Women – April

HOLY CRAP IT’S MAY! How?! We’re almost halfway through this year. We all know it’s been full of political tension, but it doesn’t have to stay that way. I hope you all voted or are planning to vote in your local primary elections! (If you’re not registered or don’t know how to, leave a comment and let me know). I still believe this is the year of the woman and I will not stop celebrating all of the incredible women creating space for change! With that being said, check out three ladies doing awesome things.

Dr. Ellen Stofan

Holy crap let’s talk about inspiring.

Who was once a little girl who thought only boys could work at NASA, later became a Chief scientist at NASA and is now the first woman to lead the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum in Washignton, DC. After spending 18 years in the STEM industry, Dr. Ellen Stofan is looking forward to creating positive change and inspiring young women and girls to pursue STEM related careers.

Desiree Linden

UM, YES DEDICATION! Desiree Linden was a seasoned marathon runner, but had never “broken the tape”. Until she became the first female runner in 33 years to win the Boston Marathon. Despite the horrible weather conditions, Linden prevailed. What an incredible testament to persistence, dedication, and BOTH physical and mental strength. YOU GO GIRL.

Misan Sagay

Screen writer Misan Sagay is writing her way through all kinds of barriers. She’s fed up with the “sassy black woman” characters she sees on screen and is instead, pushing for more dynamic roles. After being told that there is “no audience” for films with black female leads and that there’s an “uneasy disconnect with films centered on a black woman, Sagay just doesn’t buy it. “If diversity means giving white men more work writing about black women, we’ve failed”. This woman has some incredible things to say, read more of them here.

Want to celebrate some of the incredible women in your life? Shoot me an email and let’s get them featured! allisonranting@gmail.com