We recognize the inequalities faced by women well beyond International Women’s Day. As individuals and as a collective, we can continue pushing for a more equitable society through action; through Allyship.

Ayobami Ayodeji, VP Technology

As a man who has worked in various male dominated industries, I have witnessed gender inequality in the workplace. What I have also seen in my career is the necessity of a holistic dimension of contribution, that our society, workplaces, and economy cannot succeed without. To me, a world where women are empowered to be whatever they choose to be is not a nice to have, but a must have.

My way of celebrating International Women’s Day is recognizing the women in all aspects of my life, starting with my mother who taught me almost everything I know, my younger sister who inspires me every day, my cousins, friends and coworkers who have had a lasting impact on my life, and without whom I would not be where I am today. I constantly admire the sacrifices women make each day for their loved ones, and for the amazing things they achieve despite the hurdles they have to overcome.

Throughout history, there have been countless great women who have shaped our lives forever and I celebrate some of them here:

1. Eleanor Roosevelt dramatically changed the role of the first lady, advocating for human rights, women’s rights, and children’s causes.
2. Grace Hopper helped develop a compiler that was a precursor to the widely used COBOL language for computers, and she became a rear admiral in the U.S. Navy.
3. Hedy Lamarr was credited for co-inventing a radio signaling device that changed radio frequencies to confuse and hinder enemies during World War II, and remains a crucial part of how we communicate wirelessly today.
4. Anne Frank, a young Jewish girl who died in a concentration camp in 1945 kept a diary that was later published by her father. Her writing has helped historians (and readers including me) better understand this time.
5. Rosa Parks’ iconic refusal to give up her seat. Her willingness to disobey the rule helped to spark the Montgomery boycott and other efforts to end segregation in America.
6. Margaret Sanger, a feminist and women’s rights activist, coined the term “birth control” and managed to have the Food and Drug Administration approve the first oral contraceptive.
7. Katherine Johnson, a mathematician, was one of the brains behind the complex calculations that helped us fly into space.
8. Aretha Franklin, a legendary soul musician who sang many iconic songs became the first woman inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
9. Junko Tabei shattered gender norms in 1975 when she became the first woman to successfully climb Mount Everest.
10. Miriam Makeba used her global platform as a singer-songwriter to speak against apartheid in the ’70s and ’80s, calling attention to the plight of Black South Africans through her music.
11. J.K. Rowling, a British author of the Harry Potter books, which have inspired millions of people around the world. The series of books spanned a generation and led to movie and video game adaptations, theme park rides, and spin-off books.
12. Madeleine Albright, the first female secretary of state fought to prevent the expansion of nuclear weapons and broker peace in the Middle East.
13. Oprah Winfrey, the host of the talk show that bears her name inspired a whole generation of women to achieve more.
14. Sheryl Swoopes, one of the first women to be signed into the WNBA, paved the way for the greats that would follow her.
15. Malala Yousafzai, survived a gunshot wound to the face by the Taliban, and has since become a spokesperson for human rights, education, women’s rights and won the Nobel Peace Prize.
16. Dr. Kizzmekia S. Corbett a research fellow led the team that successfully developed the Moderna vaccine for the novel coronavirus.
17. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, the first female and two-time finance minister of Nigeria was named the global finance minister of the year by Euromoney in 2005. After a 25-year career at the World Bank as a development economist, she is the current Director-General of the World Trade Organization, the first woman and the first African to hold the office.

Adrian Jones, VP External

For me, International Women’s Day means taking an alternate perspective and recognizing that women have different experiences in society. It serves to remind us that to march towards true equality we must take on the task of talking to one another about not only feminism, but to truly understand its meaning. From here we can take action in working together in bridging equality gaps. As a male leader, I am reminded that this is a responsibility I must embody and reflect on how to lead actionable change in combating gender inequalities in the workplace and community. For myself, it’s through self-education (i.e., by attending events to challenge my preconceived notions and learn about specific ways to support change) and though service (i.e., donating time) via mentoring to engage in these conversations/activities.

Tofunmi Adebise, VP Financial Literacy

International Women’s Day is a day to reflect on how far women have come and the work that still must be done in advancing women in society; building a society where the true meaning of equality exists. Taking from personal experiences, it is quite extraordinary seeing the amount of sacrifices women go through that men may sometimes be unappreciative of. Being able to juggle working while being in Film School is already hard enough, I can not imagine how the women in my life have been able to balance, work, relationships, and managing family obligations; as we know that most of the non-paid labour within the household remains predominantly on women. Women are superheroes.

As a male ally, I make sure to reach out to the women in my life – family, friends, and colleagues – sharing how much they inspire and motivate me. I make sure they know how awesome they are and recognize the imbalances they face in society. As an ally, communication is essential. I understand the importance of educating myself and other men around me about the significance of creating safe spaces for women. Through conversation and listening, we can all enhance our understanding of gender inequality and become inspired toward more actionable measures in combating it.