Malala Yousafzai
- Born on July 12th 1997, Pakistan
- Activist for female education, fighting for
women’s/ girls right to get an education
- Nobel prize in 2014: youngest Nobel Prize
Laureate
- 11 years old: blog for BBC Urdu detailing
life under Taliban occupation
- Shot in the head by the Talibans, in an
attempted murder in 2012
- After the shot, moved to UK with her
father
- Wrote a book, I am Malala, detailing her
life in Pakistan and her creed for
supporting education as a basic right
worldwide
Eleanor Roosevelt
- Born on October 11th, 1884
- Wife of president F.D. Roosevelt, UN
Ambassador
- Worked as a teacher; got involved in local
and state politics
- During her husband’s mandate, became a
very public figure by working with the
people marginalized and affected by the
Great Depression
- During WWII, fought for the rights of black
American soldiers, encouraging their
involvement in more visible roles
- Helped in drafting the Universal
Declaration of Human Rights
Emma Watson
- Born on April 15th, 1990, UK
- Actress, feminist
- 2014: Women Goodwill Ambassador;
started HeforShe campaign, encouraging
men to advocate for gender equality
- 2016: Started Our Shared Shelf, a
Goodreads group for books written by/
about women and women’s condition in
various contexts.
- Helped popularizing the feminist
movement and helped connecting the
readers with the authors through
interviews, giving readers the chance to
send their questions for the authors.
- Starred in the Harry Potter series as
Hermione Granger, character with which
she deeply identifies
Anne Frank
- Born on June 12th 1929
- Jewish girl from a German family
- Had to hide together with her family and
another couple from the Gestapo, living in
2 rooms.
- Wrote “The Diary of a Young Girl”,
detailing her and her family’s life in hiding
from the Germans during WWII, which has
become one of the most important
records of the Holocaust
- Was caught together with her family by
the German police and died of typhoid
fever in a concentration camp, one month
before liberation. Her father was the only
one of the family who survived
Audrey Hepburn Oprah Winfrey

- Born on May 4th, 1929, Belgium - Born on April 15th, 1990, UK

- Was an actress and remained known for
her roles in famous movies such as
Breakfast at Tiffany’s
- Lived in England, The Netherlands and
Belgium and she often saw the
consequences of WWII, especially on
Jewish people
- Decided to retire from acting at a young
age and dedicate her life to working with
UNICEF and became an UNICEF
ambassador. She worked with actively in
campaigns to improve conditions for
children around the world.
- Became the first woman to have her own
TV show and her TV show became one of
the most popular shows of all time
- Is a talk-show host, writer, philanthropist
- Focused on many issues concerning
American women, especially black women.
- Started the Oprah Winfrey book club,
which became one of the most influential
book clubs in the world. The book club
influenced as well, at times, best-seller
lists.
- Nominated for an Oscar for The Color
Purple, movie about the black community
in Southern Georgia.

Wangari Maathai

- Born on April 1st 1940, died in 2011

- Environmental and women’s rights activist
- 1969: first East African woman to receive a
PhD (in veterinary anatomy)
- 2004: first black woman to receive a Nobel
Peace Prize for “her contribution to
sustainable development, democracy and
peace.”
- Campaigned for the restoration of
democracy in Kenya in the 1990s. Member
of Parliament during 2003-2005.
- During her time spent working in the
university, had many campaigns regarding
equal benefits for the women staff, many
of which were successful.