Every week I am blown away by the number of women of colour who leverage their experiences and their platforms to empower others.
This week's newsletter features women driving change across a broad range of industries - from the Miss Universe Pageant, through to politics, film, sports, beauty and science.
We've covered it all ... and now I wish it was possible to have 159,306,802,374 different careers in a lifetime (I exaggerate, but you get the point!)
Let's get glowing
- Shilpa
P.S. Welcome to those of you who are new to the Glowreel community, and thank you for your support! Also, wishing a Happy Lunar New Year to those of you celebrating!
A Beauty Queen, A Civil Rights Lawyer And A Politician Using Their Voices To Empower Others
"You're Pretty For An ..."
Maria Thattil wrote about her experiences dealing with microagressions and assumptions about her identity.
Thattil is Miss Universe Australia 2020 and is an Australian woman of Indian descent.
In the articles, Thattil notes that throwaway comments, which are perhaps not intended to be harmful, can hurt Black, Indigenous and people of colour as much as targeted racist slurs.
Such as a 'compliment' Thattil has received on countless occasions, that she's ‘so beautiful for an Indian’. She highlights that while the statement seems well intentioned, it demeans her racial heritage.
Thattil is also using her platform to challenge perceptions of what it means to be Australian and what an Australian beauty queen should look like.
"Seeing people of different skin tones and ethnic heritages on the stage representing their country ... is empowering. We need to honour that what it takes to belong somewhere is not just skin deep."
A Translator Of The Language Of Law
Julie Su has been nominated for the role of US deputy labor secretary by President Joe Biden.
If successful, she will be the first Asian American woman in the role. We are here for the representation!
Su is the daughter of Chinese immigrants. She spent 17 years working as a civil rights lawyer. In that time she championed protections for low-wage workers and worked to protect immigrants from becoming victims of crimes. She's currently the California labor secretary.
Speaking in 2019, she said she became a lawyer "to become a translator of the language of law for those who are marginalized, discriminated against, and exploited."
Mahua Moitra Gave One Of the Best Speeches Of All Time
Indian politician Mahua Moitra called out the treatment of Indian farmers during a passionate speech in India's Lok Sabha (House of the People).
Her speech is being hailed as one of the best Parliamentary speeches ever - you can watch it here.
ICYMI, one of the largest organised strikes in human history is taking place in India. Farmers in India are demanding the repeal of three agricultural reform bills that were passed by the Indian Government in September 2020, without any farmers being consulted. You can learn more about the bills, the protests and how to help here.
Moitra called out the Government's actions in her speech, which she ended by proclaiming "repeal or nothing” for the farm laws.
Bites
- Chloé Zhao is the first woman of Asian descent to be nominated for a Golden Globe. Zhao is a Chinese-American filmmaker and has been nominated for her work directing Nomadland.
- Dead Pigs, the debut film of Birds Of Prey director Cathy Yan, will be released for global viewing on MUBI. Dead Pigs initially featured at Sundance in 2018 and was released in China in 2019. The release of the film fulfils Yan's vision: “I’ve always wanted Dead Pigs out in the world."
- Eloho Omame and Odunayo Eweniyi recently launched First Check Africa. The female-focussed angel fund aims to fix capital access for female tech entrepreneurs in Africa through an intentional, female-led approach.
- Ngangom Bala Devi wants to bring her international football learnings back to India. Devi is India’s first professional female football player, having signed with Rangers FC (one of the top football clubs in the Scottish League) in 2020.
- Double Olympic champion Lisa Carrington has been named the most influential Māori sports personality of the past 30 years. The London and Rio Games canoeing gold medallist from New Zealand is grateful for the title and is looking forward to the next 30 years of Māori excelling in sport.
The Female Collective And The Filipino-Owned Beauty Brands You Need To Try
Candace Reels Has Created A Movement
26 year old Candace Reels is the founder of the Female Collective.
The Female Collective is a digital space where women are celebrated, uplifted, supported, and empowered everyday. It was born out of Reels' passion for activism and intersectional feminism. Oh, and the Female Collective also sells epic merch with powerful phrases to keep you inspired!
“There are so many things that separate us, but if we can use all of those things and work to equalise all playing fields for all women, it’s just much better for the world and all of us.”
Filipino-Owned Beauty Brands To Try (c/o Kristina Rodulfo)
Kristina Rodulfo is one of our favourite beauty editors! The proud New York City based Filipina is currently Beauty Director and Women's Health Magazine.
Her beauty recommendations are authentic and helpful, and she's always ready to give a helping hand to others. Case in point: she started Donate Beauty with some friends during lockdown last year. To date, they've donated 425,000+ health and beauty products to healthcare workers on the frontlines.
Rodulfo recently created this guide of 30 Filipino-Owned Beauty Brands. We love to see the diversity in the beauty industry!
The First Lady Of Physics
Chien-Shiung Wu was one of the most influential nuclear physicists of the 20th century.
She performed experiments that tested the fundamental laws of physics.
Of particular note is her famous experiment to test the law of parity conservation.
Wu's work led to her male colleagues winning the 1957 Nobel Prize in Physics. Wu was overlooked for the prize, with some believing that she was denied the prize because she was a woman.
Wu did win other awards in the field including the National Medal of Science (1975) and the inaugural Wolf Prize in Physics (1978). She was also the first Chinese-American elected to the National Academy of Sciences. In 1967, she served as the first female president of the American Physical Society.
Wu's contributions to science earned her the nicknames "First Lady of Physics" (in the US) and “Chinese Marie Curie" (in China). The US postal service also just announced it will issue a commemorative forever stamp to honour Wu.
Now, about that Nobel Prize..
Lioness Thoughts
"If one girl with courage is a revolution, imagine what feats we can achieve together."
- Queen Rania of Jordan
