March 8 marks the return of International Women’s Day, and with it, a global focus on the celebration and equality of women.
International Women’s Day began in 1911, and it was the Suffragettes who created this day as they strove for equality, according to the International Women’s Day website.
Do you want to send a shoutout to an inspirational woman in your life? We would love to share your story! Send a photo and a few sentences to socialdesk@globalnews.ca and include International Women’s Day in the subject line.
Here’s just a small list of inspirational women:
Christina Koch and Jessica Meir
Christina Koch and Jessica Meir made history as they completed NASA’s first all-female spacewalk in October 2019.
Their mission was to fix a broken part on the International Space Station’s power grid, and the world watched as they completed their job with wrenches, screwdrivers and power-grip tools.
Their walk marked the first time in a half-century of spacewalking that men were not a part of the duties.
Pairing up for the spacewalk was significant for Koch and Meir as they have been long-time friends.
Christie Blatchford
Journalist Christie Blatchford was often spotted in Toronto courtrooms bearing her signature cat-eye glasses and thick bangs.
In her early career, Blatchford worked as a sports columnist for various papers, which was a largely male-dominated area at the time.
Her frank writing style and emotionally charged articles led her to be pursued by each of Toronto’s four daily newspapers as a marquee name.
Blatchford’s career spanning five decades earned her many accolades, her most recent being inducted into the Canadian News Hall of Fame last November.
She passed away after a battle with cancer on Feb. 12.
Bianca Andreescu
Bianca Andreescu went from being a virtually unknown Canadian tennis player to a household name, all in the span of one year.
The Romanian-Canadian began the 2019 tennis season ranked 152nd in the world, and went on to beat tennis pro Serena Williams at the U.S. Open.
She was welcomed back to her Mississauga, Ont., hometown to a “She the North rally,” which was attended by thousands.
What is next for Andreescu? Well, she has her eye on the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo.
With files from The Canadian Press
Meghan Markle
Meghan Markle has faced intense scrutiny by British tabloids from the day rumours began to swirl of her alleged romance with Prince Harry.
Markle received criticism from tabloids over everything from eating avocados to the shade of nail polish she wore.
What the press neglected to focus on was her years of charitable work, including advocacy for women’s health care, and gender equality worldwide.
With the birth of their son Archie, Markle did not want to subject her family to the intense scrutiny, so Markle, along with her son and husband have moved to Canada and withdrew from all royal duties for the time being.