Magte Chunneiiang Mary Kom is a former boxer and Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha (2016-22). Mary has a number of notable firsts for a female boxer from India. She was the only female Indian boxer to qualify for the 2012 Summer Olympics -in the flyweight category she won bronze. She is the only boxer to win the Amateur Boxing Championship 6 times. At the 2014 first Indian female boxer to win gold at the Asian Games. At the 2018 first Indian female boxer to win gold at the Commonwealth Games. She has been ranked No.1 female light-flyweight by the International Boxing Association. In 2017 the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports appointed her and Akhil Kumar as national observers of boxing. Mary’s parents were concerned that boxing would stop her finding a husband. She found a husband, they had 2 children and she returned to boxing. Her husband supported her - gave up his job to look after the children- so she could continue. Mary has opened a boxing academy in Imphal and been a Member of Parliament. * Take me as an example and don’t give up Mary Kom Sources Wikipedia RISE: Extraordinary Women of Colour Who Changed the World by Maliha Abidi

Shirin completed her degree 1969 and later was appointed a judge. In 1971 , during her judgeship. she obtained a doctorate. In 1975 she was appointed chief Magistrate. Following the Islamic Revolution in 1979 she was demoted to clerk.She applied for early retirement and left in protest. During the time she was unable to get a license she .began to write books and papers on human rights, Once readmitted she worked privately and with her team took on 6,000 cases without charge. The government saw her as a threat and imprisoned her. With international pressure it was reduced to a fine. Hearing of threats of assassination she moved to GB. In 2003 she was awarded the Nobel Peace Price for advocating democracy and human rights. She was the first Muslim to win the prize and only Iranian to win a Nobel. She has been in exile in London since 2009 but has never stopped fighting for the rights of Iranians. Sources Wikipedia RISE:Extraordinary Women of Colour Who Changed the World by Maliha Abidi

Sylvia is a Ugandan academic (BA, MA , DrP) and human rights activist in Uganda. In 2004 she was recognized by several women’s organizations in Uganda for her human rights activism. In a speech in October 2016 she called for a revision of the Ugandan laws that discriminate against women. All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights Sylvia Tamale Sources Wikipedia RISE: Extraordinary Women of Colour Who Changed the World by Malihi Abidi

She was better known as Mum Shirl. She visited 1000s of prisoners in her life time. When asked by prison officials who she was she replied ’ their mother’. This all started when she visited her brother, Laurie, in prison. As a child she received little education because she suffered from epilepsy. She was unable to read or write but knew approximately 16 Aboriginal languages. This did not stop her from becoming a social worker, a humanitarian activist committed to justice and welfare of Aboriginal Australians. She was a founding member of many Aboriginal committees. ( See list) She dedicated her life to helping others. During her lifetime she was recognized as an Australian National Living Treasure. Sources Wikipedia *RISE: Extraordinary Women of Colour Who Changed the World * by Maliha Abidi

Shirin’s work centres on opposites religous/secular, East/West, masculine/feminine. She does not consider herself as an activist but sees her art *as an expression of protest, a cry for humanity When the Iran Revolution erupted in 1979 she was in the USA she wondered if she would ever see her family again. In 1990 she was reunited with her family in a very different Iran from the one she had left . It inspired her first major work Women of Allah which featured photographs of veiled women with overlaid text. It attracted global attention. It felt hear was someone who could describe what it was like to be an Iranian woman. Her art is too threatening for the Iranian Authorities so she has been in exile since 1996. Her art is a weapon on 2 fronts - against the Iran regime and the unreal perceptions of Iran held by the West. Sources Wikipedia RISE: Extraordinary Women of Colour Who Changed the World by Maliha Abidi

Maria,from Brazil, married a Columbian husband and they had 3 children After he was granted Brazilian citizenship he became violent to both his wife and children. He shot her in the spine and she became a paraplegic. He escaped punishment because he said it happen when they were burgled - the police accepted the story. He then tried to electrocute her her while she bathed. For the next 19 years she fought to have him jailed. He was tried twice, found guilty but went free each time. In 2002 sentenced to 8 years in jail but released in 2003. Maria campaigned for changes in the law with regards to domestic violence. She took her case to the Organization of America States. August 7th, 2006, the Maria da Penha Law was passed. It entered into force on 22nd September 2006. Brazil now recognizes multiple forms of violence against women and sets stricter punishments to abuse. A change that has had a life saving impact on countless women. Today Maria is the coordinator of studies of the *Associacao de Parentes e Amigos de Violencia de Violencia (APAVV) Sources Wikipedia *RISE: Extraordinary Women of Colour Who Have Changed the World * by Maliha Abidi

Rigoberta was a member of the resistance movement in Guatemala during its brutal civil war (1960-96). She followed in her father’s footsteps by joining the Committee for Peasant Unity in 1979 and becoming a member of the National Coordinating Committee 7 years later (1986). She escaped to Mexico in 1981. In 1983 she published book 1 Rigoberta Menchu which brought the world’s attention to this Silent Holocaust. Working with numerous local and international organizations she became a leading representative of indigenous and women’s rights around the world. In 1992 she won the Nobel Peace Prize. She was the first indigenous recipient and the youngest at the time. She was Presidential Goodwill Ambassador for the 1996 peace accords in Guatemala. She unsuccessfully stood for president in 2007 and 2011. Rigoberta’s activism for political and economic equality, human rights and climate change action continues Maliha Abidi Sources Wikipedia RISE: Extraordinary Women of Colour Who Changed the World by Maliha Abidi

Prudence, a 21 year old student, was the first woman in South Africa to openly declare a positive HIV positive diagnosis. After her announcement she was met with insults, presumptions that she was a sex worker and expectations that she would die soon. Her university barred her from finishing her studies. (She lived to the age of 45 and she did gain some diplomas (light current engineering, psychology and management) She turned to volunteer work but struggled with suicidal feelings. She qualified as a sangoma - a traditional healing. *She visited so many grieving families. When lesbians were killed, Pru went. When another HIV positive woman died, Pru was there. When a woman was murdered. Pru was at the font. painted up, dolled up, voice rugged,breathing through her mouth, swearing and joking and sweating, she was there. Sisonka Msimang She a member of the One in Nine Campaign She set up the Positive Women’s Network in 1996. In 1998 she helped start Treatment Action Campaign TAC) She was the recipient of the Felipa de Souza award in 1999. In 2004 carried the Olympic flame in Greece. At the time of her death in 2017 she was involved with many organizations ( See ‘Career’ for full list) Prudence worked to better the lives of those around her,she rose from despair to heroism in incredibly difficult circumstances Maliha Abidi Sources Wikipedia RISE:Extraordinary Women of Colour Who Changed the World by Maliha Abidi

In 2014 Nadia was kidnapped from her home town Kocho and held by the Islamic State for 3 months. ISIS in August 2014 wanted to eradicate Yardis through terrorism and violence. They shot 600 men; the boys were taken to training camps. They killed many of the older women; young women were taken to be sold as slaves. Nadia lost her mother and 6 brothers. Nadia was sold several times and suffered sexual violence by multiple men. On her first attempt to escape she was beaten and gang raped. Her second escape was successful. Hours later she reached an Arab house . The family, at great risk of their own lives, hid her and smuggled out of the region. From an Iraq refugee camp she moved to Germany. She began to speak about what had happened to her and the rest of her people tens of thousands of Yazidis had been killed or displaced. .In just over a year after the invasion she addressed the United Nations . She founded Nadia’s Initiative - a non-profit organization advocating for survivors of sexual violence and the rebuilding of communities in crisis. 2016 appointed first ever Goodwill Ambassador for the Dignity of Survivors of Human Trafficking. 2018 , with Denis Mukwege, awarded the Nobel Peace Prize * for their efforts to end the use of sexual violence as a weapon of war and conflict*. She is the first Iraq and Yazidi to be awarded the Nobel Prize. Relentlessly she has urged the world to take action and bring ISIS to justice. Read sheet on Yazidis Definition ISIS Islamic State of Iraq and Syria Jihadist military group and terrorist organisation Sources Wikipedia RISE: Extraordinary Women of Colour Who Have Changed the World by Maliha Abidi

Maria Teresa, Minerva and Patria Mirabel were assassinated for opposing the dictatorship of Rafael Truijillo. Truijillo invited Minerva and her family to a party and made sexual advances towards her, she refused . He became her enemy. He imprisoned her father who died shortly after his release. Minerva had studied law but Truijillo prevented her obtaining her degree. Minerva was the most active of the three sisters being the founder of June 14 Revolutionary Movement. - an underground revolutionary dedicated to ending his regime. The older sister, Patria, lent her house to store weapons and tools. Truijillo be came aware of their clandestine activities. He arrested the sisters and their husbands. After several months he released the wives. He set a trap. The husbands were transferred to a remote prison. On a visit to their husbands the secret police intercepted them, beat them to death, placed their bodies in a car and sent it off a cliff. They died on 25th November 1960. Historians believe it marked the limits of domestic and international tolerance in the Dominion Republic…The truth behind the assassinations was an open secret. May1961 Truijillo was killed by a group of conspirators. The fourth sister, Dede (or Adela ), did not join the resistance but played a pivotal role by turning their home into a mausoleum in their memory. The remains of the 3 resistance fighters rest in the mausoleum. It was declared an extension of the National Pantheon and located in the Hermanas Mirabal House Museum The sisters today are revered as national heroines, 'las Mariposas’ (the butterflies). Sources Wikipedia RISE: Extraordinary Women of Colour Who Changed the World by Maliha Abidi

Maria was recognised by the Indonesia in 1969 as a National Hero for her. work towards the emancipation of women. This was 45 years after her death in 1924. Born Maria Josphine Catherine Maramis she was made an orphan when both her parents died froma disease when she was only 6. Maria, with her siblings were adopted by their uncle. Girls were primed for marriage from an early age. They were taught to read and write and received some science and history tuition. When she married her name changed to Maria Walanda Maramis. She began to write an opinion column for the local newpaper. Her topic owere motherhood and the woman’s role in caring for the health, well being and education of their families. In 1917 she founded Perctaan Ibu Kepada Anak Turunannya PIKAT , in English The Love of a Mother toward her children. The organization taught mothers how to cook, sew and childcare. PIKAT spread to other islands. It offered women a network through which they could exchange skills and information. Her daughters became teachers. Maria also worked for political change. In 1921 women were given permission to vote for their representatives. Sources Wikipedia RISE: Extraordinary Women of Colour Who Changed the World by Maliha Abidi

Margaret Yvonne Busby, born in Gold Coast (now Ghana ), became the youngest, first black female publisher in GB. Along with Clive Allison they were co-founders of Alison and Busby, a London based Publishing House, in the 1960s. Notable works Daughters of Africa 1992 New Daughters of Africa 2019 2020 she was voted one of the 100 Great Black Britons. 2021 honoured with the London Book Fair Lifetime Achievement award. 2023 named president of English PEN. Sources Wikipedia RISE: Extraordinary Women of Colour Who Changed the World by Maliha Abidi

Loujain is from Saudi Arabia. Until 2018 women were not allowed to drive in Saudi Arabia. In 2014 she deliberately set out to challenge Saudi Arabia’s proscription against female drivers by live streaming her trip as part of a Women to Drive campaign. She was jailed for 73 days.n She has been arrested and released on several occasions for defying the ban . She has been charged with** attempting to destabilise the kingdom** In May 2018 she was effectively kidnapped in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) In 2018 the law was changed. The ban was lifted while she was in jail. In jail she is said to have endured torture, electrocution and threats of dismemberment and rape. In December 2020 she was sentenced to 5 years 8 months in jail by a special (terrorism court’. She was released on 10th February 2021 on strict prohibition conditions and faces a 5 year ban on travel. Despite her release Lourjain is far from free. Awards for her defiance In 2015 she was ranked 3rd in top 100 Most Powerful Arab Woman In 2019 received the PEN America/Barbey Freedom 2019/20 nominated for Nobel Peace Prize 2020 Vaclav Havel Human Rights Prize Sources Wikipedia RISE: Extraordinary Women of Colour Who Changed the World by Malihi Abidi

Jameel Alia Jamil may be a beautiful woman but she wants us to think carefully about that. As a child, born to a Pakistani father and a British Pakistani mother, she faced numerous health issues. As a teenager she had anorexia nervosa (14-17). Aged 17 she had a serious spinal injworldury after being struck by a car. Her recovery from the accident apparently changed her relationship with her body. She is known for her Instagram account 'I weigh’ She realised that she had been conditioned to hate her body by a culture that profits from the self-loathing of young girls. She wants girls to be proud, for us to fell valuable…and look past the flesh on our bones. In 2016 she relocated to the US. She hosts the TBS late-night game show The Misery Index and is a judge on Legendary. Through her willingness to criticise her peers and the structure of the entertainment industry Jameela is a positive and visible role model for millions around the world. Sources Wikipedia RISE: Extraordinary Women of Colour Who Changed the World by Maliha Abidi

Berta was assassinated, in her home, in 2016, by armed intruders after many years of threats against her life. She was a Honduran environmental activist, indigenous leader, co-founder and coordinator of the Council of Popular and Indigenous Organization of Honduras (COPINH). She had dedicated her life to change Honduras where the rights of indigenous people were routinely violated,activists killed and women died every 18 hours. She successfully led a grassroots campaign/ blockade in 2013, which lasted a year against the world’s largest dam builder to stop the building of the Agua Zarca Dam at the Rio Gualcarque. Protesters were beaten, shot and tortured by the military Berta’s courageous efforts won her the prestigious Golden Environmental Prize.in 2015. In July 2021 Roberto David Castillo, the former president of Desarrollos Energeticos SA (DESA), was found guilty of being a co-conspirator in her murder and sentenced to 22 1/ 2 years in prison. Sources Wikipedia* RISE: Extraordinary Women of Colour Who Changed the World* by Maliha Abidi

Fatema grew up in the harem of her affluent paternal grandmother along with various female kin and servants. She came of age during a progressive movement. She had the opportunity to step outside the harem doors and receive a university eduction Beyond the Veil: Male-female Dynamics in Muslim Society, written for her PhD, recognizes the power of Muslim women in relation to the Islamic faith. She is regarded as an Influential feminist figure, as she was a renowned public speaker, scholar, teacher, writer and sociologist. Fatema is considered to be one of the founders of Islamic feminism. Sources Wikipedia** RISE: Extraordinary Women of Colour Who Changed the World by Maliha Abidi*

Leymah Roberta Gbowe, with her collaborator Ellen Johnson Sirleaf ,and WIPNET, were responsible for ending the second Liberia Civil War in 2003. Together they led the Women of Liberia M ass Action of Peace (WIPNET) to end the civil war. They took hundreds of women to the hotel where the peace talks had stalled and stopped the negotiators from leaving until days later an agreement was reached… *The peace hall has been seized by General Leymah and her troops *Abubaker (Read the paragraph In June …) The president of Liberia , Charles Taylor went into exile but was eventually apprehended and sentenced to 50 years imprisonment. 2005 Ellen-Johnson Sirleaf became the first woman president of Liberia. 2011 Leymah and Ellen shared the Nobel Peace prize with Tawakei Kaman. Sources Wikipedia RISE: Extraordinary Women of Colour who Changed the World by Maliha Abidi

Gua was born in a family of peasants in the impoverished region of Hua County, Henan Province in China. Seeing the poverty, underdevelopment in her village and the violation to her own grandmothers was the stimulus for her lifelong dedication to improving the rights of women . Aged 18 she attended law school at Peking University, graduating in 1983. She worked at the Ministry of Justice, All China Federation for Women, The All China Association of Lawyers.* In 1995 she attended the Fourth International Forum for Women Lawyers and the United Nations International World Conference on Women in Beijing. Her intension was to observe and interview members, she left an activist. She, with others, founded the Beijing University Law School Women’s Legal Research and Services Centre, also in 1995. It was the first non-profit- making non-government organization specializing in women’s legal aid in China. It grew to become an influential force in safeguarding the rights and interests of women. 2010 Beijing University disassociated itself from the centre. 2016 Chinese government ordered it to be shut down. Despite this Guo continues her work as first public interest lawyer fighting full-time on the front lines to protect women’s rights. In 2019 Gua was awarded Right Livelihood Award for her pioneering and persistent work in securing women’s rights in China. Sources used Wikipedia RISE:Extraordinary Women of Colour Who Changed the World by Maliha Abidi

Wangechi is primarily known for her painting, sculpture, film and performance work. She has established her career in New York City and lived there for more than 20 years. She has directed the female body as subject through collage painting, immersive installation and live and video performance while exploring questions of self -image, gender constructs, cultural trauma, and environmental destruction and notions of beauty and power. Her work often centred on Black women’s bodies.Her Afrofuturist worldscapes confront the pain and discourse of our time. Her art work allowed her to release her anxiety following the 9/11 terrorists attacks. She created beautiful collages using paints, inks and cut-outs from magazines, In 2003 she was invited to take part in a group exhibition with 12 other artists - a major turning point in her career. In 2018 she created scuptures for the exterior niche of the facade for the Metropolitan Museum of Art. She is the founder of* Africa’s Out* a platform to* advance change through the power of art and activism.* Wangechi has exhibited across the world, an artist attuned to some of the most complex nuances of the 21st century. Sources Wikipedia RISE: Extraordinary Women of Colour Who Have Changed the World by Maliha Abidi

Wilma and her 10 siblings grew up in extreme poverty in Oklahoma Cherokee territory. They spoke Cherokee, and were taught traditions by tribal elders. The family moved to San Francisco where they lived in a troubled neighbourhood and struggled financially. Separated from tribal ways and facing racism and discrimination she found school difficult. This helped transform her into a feminist and activist. She married, had 2 daughters but her husband discouraged her personal growth. Her dedication to native American issues pushed her to pursue university education. She divorced her husband and began to work as a social worker.in Oakland. She returned with her daughters to Oklahoma to work for the Cherokee nation. She developed programmes for healthcare, child and elderly welfare. She also secured community infrastructure development grants. Surviving a near fatal accident she became Deputy Chief to Ross Swimmer. On Ross moving into federal politics she became chief. She held the post for 10 years - re-elected twice. She was progressive, farsighted and focused on cultural pride. She emphasised economic growth and social programmes. There was improvement in all areas *I want to be remembered as the person who helped restore faith in ourselves Wilma Mankiller on the Cherokee Nation Sources Wikipedia RISE:Extraordinary Women of Colour Who Changed the World by Maliha Abidi