The 99 Walks’ theme for September is Be Bold so we thought we’d kick off the month by featuring six of the boldest women we could think of. Women who bucked convention, took chances, did extraordinary things and changed the world.
Harriet Tubman
Seriously, let’s talk about a woman who was born into slavery, escaped, returned to help hundreds of others escape via the Underground Railroad and became a nurse during the Civil War, all while spying on the enemy. Now that’s bold.
Coco Chanel
Yup, she was a Nazi sympathizer, so there’s that. But before then, she single-handedly redefined women’s fashion with clothing that helped free women from the confines of their corsets and gave them the freedom to move. Literally.
Madeleine Albright
Having been chased from her native Czechoslovakia by the Nazis, she immigrated to the United States at 11 and went on to be our nation’s first female Secretary of State. Always an advocate for women, and someone who spoke boldly, she’s credited with uttering the words “There is a special place in hell for women who do not help other women.”
Sarah Breedlove
Few people know that this country’s first self-made female millionaire was an African American woman who created a line of cosmetics and hair care products for black women. The daughter of two slaves and orphaned at age seven, she saw a need, built a brand and then gave back as a philanthropist.
Amelia Earhart
15 hours, by herself, in a plane -- and we’re not talking a jet plane, we are talking about a prop plane -- she flew across the Atlantic Ocean in 1932. That’s bold and a little crazy. But still bold.
Malala Yousafzai
She insisted on getting an education and shining a light on the atrocious conduct of the Taliban -- all before the age of 15 and despite serious threats to her life. One day, Taliban gunmen walked onto her school bus and shot her in the head. Miraculously, she recovered, wrote a book and became an even more outspoken advocate for the rights of women and girls. Take that, Taliban.
Six Amazing, Bold Women