#nadyaokamoto

[azul41]

I saw a tik tok video about nadya okamoto advocate to not have companies not say feminine products for menstruation products like tampons and pads etc. I totally understand the purpose of doing that as a FTM person myself. But how she went about it in her tik tok video made it seem cringy and preachy. She is a cisgender female that was trying to advocate for the trans FTM community that didnt seem realistically applicable. Her whole approach is about that people should not be shamed about menstruation because it been stigmatized for ages and lets be period positive. I am not saying this applies to all FTM but most trans FTM would try to hide their period for their safety rather than being embarrassed about it. Periods can out FTM or gnc people with utereus because it can expose them to people who are dangerous and uncomfortable about the mere existence of transgender people. Not comforming to societal standards of gender can/will put people in danger. Periods can be a source a huge dysphoria for FTM who sees it as a reminder of what cannot be full realized as their gender identity. FTM has to use stalls to the bathroom and having a dirty tampon or pad in the bathroom trash can mean possible endangerment of being exposed as a "fake." I mean is that periods can be trigger for distressing gender dysphoria. So Nadya being a CEO of August tampons, she is has to sell her products to make her company grow and money at the end of the day. Even if she doesn't realize it, she is making money off of selling menstruation products and advertising to relate to FTM or gender non-conforming folks with uteruses. It is still a company after all that needs to make money at the end of the day. Her being a CEO doesnt make it any better that she is making money off of advertising tampon products and she inadvertently wants the FTM or gnc community to buy her products and advertise her products. To be publicly showing off and to be proud or ones period to promote her brand. She makes video about educating people about changing the term "feminine products" to menstruation products, without giving context or explanation of how that term can affect trans people in real detail. Tik tok videos are short and people still question the existence of trans people but she could have explained what specific demographic of people who would benefit from this term change. She just says that term is outdated and not every menstruation products apply to girls all the time. Beyond that there isn't the who, what or reason why. I could say another conversation of why i think Nadya is weird but idk why. This issue is deeply personal to me and I just feel like cis people trying to cover trans topics is like a white person lecturing in asian american studies. It just doesnt work. She coulda uplifted trans people voices in her video by having a trans people talk about it in her account and using her platform but whatever. Its her account and i think it really needs nuance from trans people to explain this topic more. At the end of the day I still feel uncomfortable about her making video about it with the association that she has a product to sell and i wanna seem cool to FTM or gnc to buy my product vibe. There were comments on that video of FTM being empowered by Nadya taking about this term change and good on them for feeling like they can be proud of who they are but this topic is layer and it is not safe for other people in the FTM and gnc community.

[ababeofclass]

We need to be talking more about the Florida bill HB 1069 (dubbed “ Don’t Say Period” or “Don’t say pronouns”). It basically bans schools from providing period-related sex ed in schools. It also bans and punishes teachers from respecting students’ pronouns if they aren’t cisgender. Why do old white men get to make sexist and transphobic laws if they aren’t even affected by it. @nadyaokamoto

[makerswomen]

People around the world are suffering from period poverty and are unable to afford proper menstrual care. Help end period poverty today: Text “GIVEPERIOD” to 44321. 

[stillwithhernothim]

Feels like you could use some #GOODNEWS today. Hope this gives you some hope... and something to smile about. #Repost @nadyaokamoto ・・・ As of today, NO MORE #tampontax in OHIO! Thank you @govmikedewine for signing this bill into law last November and to the amazing @period.osu team!! ❣️😩❤️ A note from our badass @period.osu founder and #nationalperiodday lead @anusha_sing . My team and I have been actively working to repeal this tax in Ohio for the last 2 years and together we have done everything from writing letters to legislators, meeting legislators, launching a petition, writing letters to the editor, organizing numerous press conferences and rallies, testifying, and so much more! We couldn’t have done this without the support of our legislators, @brigidekelly and @nirajantani 🙏Shout out to the queen @nadyaokamoto for her continuous support and for inspiring me to join this movement 🥰 💫 💫 💫 Shameless plug: I’m also excited to announce that @ameerabdul and I will he leading PERIOD’s Policy Bootcamp, starting on Monday, April 6th!!! 💪🏽💪🏽💪🏽Applications close at midnight on April 3rd and this is open to everyone who is interested in advocating for menstrual equity policy change!!! No previous policy experience required, and the Bootcamp is completely virtual! Link in bio for application link #freetheperiod https://www.instagram.com/p/B-dijBEANVM/?igshid=afz2k1ptxwza

[illjustsaydean]

That’s a ball hair trimmer

https://www.tiktok.com/@maeve.tbh/video/7032321165783829807?_t=8NXnf7gB0K5&_r=1

oh babygirl...

[signsofthemarch]

“I joined the amazing peeps behind the Period Movement for the first ever National Period Day and we rallied at the Colorado State Capitol to abolish the tax on period products and advocate for affordable and accessible period products for all.” . #Signsofthemarch 📸credit: @alanalb93 . . @periodmovement @periodequity @periodgirlfilm @nadyaokamoto @periodkitsdenver @jaredpolis @thatsmyperiod @seventhgeneration #taxfreeperiod #nationalperiodday #nationalperiodday2019 #periodpower #periodpoverty #periodequity #periodsgonepublic #periodpositive #periodpositivity #periodmovement #menstrualmovement #menstrualequality #endthestigma #unitedforaccess #endperiodpoverty #tamponsforfree #tamponsforall #tampontax #pinktax #axthetax #axthepinktax #axthetampontax #transpeoplebleedtoo #givedignity #normalizethenormal #mybiologyisnottaxable https://ift.tt/2WMutVh

[traktivist]

IDENTITY LA 2019 in the books! Shout out to this group of talented, intelligent, & energetic members from the TRAKTIVIST Team for holding it down backstage and behind-the scenes! THANK YOU each for showing so much heart and passion for each other and our community. We killed it y’all and we should feel very proud! @preetman @thereallaurenlee @aubiwasabi @moonica_kn @itzsabrinam @farah.joyy @silla_thekilla @traktivist. . . Thank you to all the artists, artists teams, honorees, hosts, and the venue for being so amazing and fun to work with! @tokimonsta @yuna @milckmusic @sophartso @superduperkyle @katho.de @deejay.rose @awkwafina @michellekhare @@xoxochristinechen @cpaforg @nadyaokamoto @detectivepikachumovie @fordtheatres . . BIG THANKS to our Brother @danakadan for trusting us once again to be part of this event and @lindangay @stlzblz @wtsursaenz for always being such an amazing group to work with, love y’all! . . And of course, shout out to @pacbridgearts @davideryu @wongfupro @fareastmovement @isatv for making this event happen in celebration of APIDA Heritage Month! (at Ford Theatres) https://www.instagram.com/p/BxaP3ikAy6Q/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=4a2hctrbebw5

[noperiodnowwhat]

On international women's day there is a lot to celebrate... from my perspective it seems that the stigma around periods is slowly being lifted which is fantastic... Talking about our menstrual health is becoming more and more accepted and normalized - from books on the topic, like No Period. Now What? @fertilityfriday Fifth Vital Sign, @larabriden Period Repair manual, @tinamuir88 Overcoming Amenorrhea, @drjolenebrighten Beyond the Pill, @nadyaokamoto Period Power, and @holly.griggspall Sweetening the Pill..., to the @periodmovement, @theperiodmovie and #societyformenstrualcycleresearch (I'm sure I'm forgetting people so please tag others working in the area in the comments!!) . I really want to thank each of you for what you have done and are continuing to do around raising awareness around the importance of periods❣️. . We still have a long way to go until periods and talking about them are totally normalized and destigmatized, but making inroads bit by bit. . I also want to thank each and every one of you reading this; whatever your own situation, the fact that you are thinking about your own period health and whatever you might share on the topic with others all helps ❤️❤️❤️. . #Repost @bodypeacewellness (@get_repost) ・・・ In honour of International Women’s Day 2019, May we celebrate each other and build each other up and create balance and equality #balanceforbetter #iwd2019 #strongwomen #buildeachotherup #bettertogether #womensupportingwomen #periods https://www.instagram.com/p/BuwerjiljZr/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=se3ocuil6nui

[artlikebread]

From #PeriodPower by @nadyaokamoto - “Simply put, young voices matter. Politics and other conversations about social and systemic change focus on how to better our future, for everyone. And, well... who better to participate in those discussions than the *future* leaders of our world? Young people can make significant contributions toward both creating and implementing solutions to current problems, and we will be the ones to carry on the legacy of changing ideas.” -Nadya Okamoto ⭕️ My book 1 of 2019. Currently reading. ⭕️ 🔴 🔴 🔴 #readingwomen #readingwomen2019 #period #leadership #youthleadership #youthempowerment #empowering #womenleaders #feminism #feminist #feministing #bookquotes #bookquotations #youth #currentlyreading https://www.instagram.com/p/BsSuOOzFg-2/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=73h3tzpki6v2

[kasiitamark]

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Muganga Mark (Kasiita)🇰🇪 (@kasiitamark_)

“Periods aren't just a women's issue, it's a human issue." @nadyaokamoto is an inspiring 16-year-old feminist activist who works to end period poverty, as period products continue to be taxed as 'luxury items'. 👏 via @tictoc @unwomen @globalfundwomen https://www.instagram.com/p/B2A9Rx5FIML/?igshid=1gldqawkl90he

[instapicsil2]

Now, this is our kinda dare. ❗️⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ _⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ 🔈Tag your statement tee photos with #ReadOurLips and use your caption to tell us what that statement means to you for a chance to have your story shared on our page each week.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ #R29Regram: @nadyaokamoto @shop.kiddbell http://bit.ly/2Curc4F

[makerswomen]

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by MAKERS Women (@makerswomen)

In 2014, tampons were taxed, while products for men like Rogaine and Viagra were not taxed. #NadyaOkamoto decided this needed to change, so she took charge. ✊ At only 20 years old, @nadyaokamoto is making big impact, and she’s not slowing down anytime soon. 👏 @periodmovement (at Monarch Beach Resort) https://www.instagram.com/p/Bts_cfSH3UL/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=d2ilbc7pfcvg

[laprogressive]

RT @nadyaokamoto: “You know who isn’t afraid to talk about race?!? White supremacists.” - an important wake up call for us all to TALK ABOUT RACE, however uncomfortable. #WeVoteNext @EighteenX18

“You know who isn’t afraid to talk about race?!? White supremacists.” - an important wake up call for us all to TALK ABOUT RACE, however uncomfortable. #WeVoteNext @EighteenX18

— Nadya Okamoto (@nadyaokamoto) September 29, 2018

via Twitter https://twitter.com/SharonKyle00 September 29, 2018 at 02:58PM

[trendingnewsb]

The young activists you should be following for International Women’s Day

Image: Rhona Wise/AFP/Getty Images

International Women’s Day is an annual, global event that pushes for women’s rights. In today’s political climate, there’s a lot to be done in achieving equality.

Feminism isn’t all pink hats and snappy tweets — to be an intersectional feminist, you need to acknowledge the many levels of inequality that affect women worldwide. 

SEE ALSO: Chloe Kim, Patty Jenkins, and more get their own Barbie dolls for International Women’s Day

From young women fighting for access to clean water to those advocating for gun control or acceptance and trans rights, here are seven young activists you should know about for International Women’s Day. 

The woman tackling mental health stigma: Elyse Fox

A post shared by Elyse Fox (@elyse.fox) on Feb 26, 2018 at 10:36am PST

Elyse Fox runs Sad Girls Club, an online and in-person community dedicated to promoting mental health awareness among young women. The 27-year-old got her start on Tumblr, where she wrote about struggling with depression. She released a short documentary about her mental health called Conversations with Friends one year ago.

After releasing Conversations with Friends, Fox received hundreds of messages from other young women struggling with mental illness. She created Sad Girls Club as a community to tackle the stigma surrounding mental illness and help other young women with access to therapy. In addition to the online platform, Sad Girls Club hosts monthly meetings in New York. 

How to follow Sad Girls Club:

Here are the Instagram and Twitter accounts for Sad Girls Club. You can follow Fox on Instagram, too, at @elyse.fox.

The teenager who organized a mass student walkout in NYC: Hebh Jamal 

Thank you @TeenVogue @petracollins #21under21 pic.twitter.com/jCk6SH7RyU

— Hebh Jamal (@hebh_jamal) December 15, 2017

When Hebh Jamal was 15, she was featured in a New York Times article about young people facing Islamophobia in the midst of the 2016 presidential election. After the story was published, Jamal was invited to speak at local schools, and became politically active. At 17 years old, the first generation Palestinian-American organized a mass student walk-out in New York City to protest Trump’s travel ban against majority-Muslim countries. 

Since then, she’s worked extensively to organize rallies and advocate against Islamophobic agendas. Still fresh out of high school, she’s now the Director of Public Relations of Integrate NYC, an advocacy group dedicated to diversifying public schools.

She told Broadly that although she understands that her activism is interesting because of her young age, she wants to create a movement of thousands of voices, not just her own. “I want to emphasize it isn’t about one person,” she said, “Although it’s really great that I’m able to have a platform that a lot of Muslim women are not able to have I really want to use it to emphasize that it needs to be a movement.” 

How to follow Jamal:

You can keep up with Jamal’s work on Twitter and Instagram.

The first transgender women’s officer in the British Labour Party: Lily Madigan

Did a tv interview for channel 4 x

A post shared by Lily Tessa Madigan (@lilytessamadigan) on Dec 6, 2017 at 12:55pm PST

At only 20 years old, Lily Madigan is the first transgender person to hold public office as a women’s officer in the British Labour Party. She came out as trans when she was 16, but her Catholic high school threatened to suspend her if she presented as a woman in class and insisted on using her male name. Madigan visited law firms in London until she found one that would represent her for free. The school eventually apologized.

She was elected in November 2017 amidst pushback from other politicians who claimed that because Madigan was assigned male at birth, she was unqualified for the position of women’s officer.

Completely false. Obviously. Women’s and trans rights will never be mutually exclusive. Get over yourselves 💁🏼‍♀️ (also stop misgendering?) Nothing like a bit of human decency 👌 https://t.co/MKjuuclowf

— Lily Madigan 🤝🌹 (@madigan_lily) March 2, 2018

Despite the transphobic tweets she’s received, she’s still determined to be the UK’s first trans member of Parliament. In a Guardian essay in remembrance of Harvey Milk, Madigan wrote: “I’m constantly attacked for running for women’s roles as a transwoman. Milk rightly spoke on ending the disenfranchisement of oppressed groups in politics, and how we can’t always be representative but we must be inclusive. To loosely paraphrase him: I fight for women because I’m one of them.”

How to follow Madigan:

You can follow her on Twitter and Instagram. 

The student taking on the NRA: Emma Gonzalez

Image: Rhona wise/Getty Images

Emma Gonzalez survived the mass shooting at Stoneman Douglas High School in Florida, and has since become an outspoken advocate for tougher gun control in the United States. Her Feb. 17 speech in Fort Lauderdale, three days after the shooting, went viral. She called out politicians who accepted donations from the NRA, and implored her audience to contact their local representatives. 

Gonzalez now has more Twitter followers than the NRA, and uses her platform to push for stronger gun control laws. 

Friendly reminder that the argument to Protect Schools completely ignores Churches, Malls, Concerts, etc. that have also been host to mass shootings – we can’t build our world out of Kevlar, just remove the guns that cause the most carnage it’s so Simple

— Emma González (@Emma4Change) March 6, 2018

The high school senior also confronted NRA spokesperson Dana Loesch during a CNN Town Hall and told her, “I want you to know we will support your two children in a way that you will not.”

In an essay for Harpers’s Bazaar, Gonzalez criticized the adults who were skeptical of the teen-led movement. “We have always been told that if we see something wrong, we need to speak up; but now that we are, all we’re getting is disrespect from the people who made the rules in the first place,” she wrote, “Adults like us when we have strong test scores, but they hate us when we have strong opinions.” 

How to follow Gonzalez:

You can keep up with Gonzalez’s activism on Twitter.

The woman who united Sioux youths to fight the DAPL: Jasilyn Charger

Jasilyn Charger co-founded the One Mind Youth Movement when she was 19 years old, after a wave of young people on the Cheyenne River Sioux Reservation died by suicide. The youth group, formed with Charger’s cousin Joseph White Eyes and friend Trenton Casillas-Bakeberg, petitioned the tribal council for youth safe houses. The youth movement became politically active and also protested the Keystone XL pipeline that would cut through the Cheyenne River and the Dakota Access pipeline that would go through the neighboring Standing Rock Sioux Tribe’s land. 

Charger and White Eyes formed a prayer camp in Standing Rock called “Sacred Stone.” Although it received little support from tribal elders, it became a safe haven from drugs and alcohol for native teenagers. To further raise awareness, One Mind Youth Movement ran a 500 mile relay run from North Dakota to Nebraska to deliver a letter to the Army Corps of Engineers. The letter asked the Army Corp to deny the pipeline’s access to the Mississippi River. The run involved young people from several Sioux reservations, according to the New York Times. 

After the run, Charger and other members of the One Mind Youth Movement stayed at Standing Rock to continue to protest. She told Democracy Nowthat she wants more young women to get involved: “Don’t listen to the men. Don’t listen to people telling you to go away. Make that mind up for yourself.”

How to follow Charger:

Although Charger doesn’t have any public social media accounts, you can follow One Mind Youth Movement on Facebook.

The student who ran for city council: Nadya Okamoto

Happy Lunar New Year 🌸 My resolution is that this is going to be the year that I learn to fully embrace my racial and ethnic identity, something I’ve struggled with growing up. I am energized and determined to learn more about my heritage and Asian American culture, and seek out and share the stories of badass AAPI trailblazers who have paved the way for young women like me. 💪🏽

A post shared by Nadya Okamoto (@nadyaokamoto) on Feb 17, 2018 at 6:40pm PST

Nadya Okamoto made headlines last year when she ran for Cambridge City Council in Massachusetts at only 19 years old, making her the youngest candidate in the race. She ran on a platform of housing policy, focussing on the prevention of gentrification in Cambridge’s low-income neighborhoods. Although she ultimately lost the election, the Harvard College student remained active in civic engagement.

In 2014, she co-founded PERIOD, a nonprofit organization that distributes sanitary products to people in need, aiming to de-stigmatize menstruation through social and legal change. Okamoto’s family was homeless during her freshman and sophomore years of high school, and she noticed that care packages for homeless women often lacked menstrual products. 

She was inspired to create PERIOD after conversations with other homeless women, who often resorted to unconventional and unsanitary methods because they couldn’t afford pads and tampons. 

“It really is a huge obstacle to global development because it’s holding back more than half our population,” Okamoto told The Cut in 2016, “We say the menstrual movement is our push to make menstrual hygiene and menstruation a more open topic.”

How to follow Okamoto:

Follow Okamoto on Twitter and Instagram to keep up with her work.

The girl fighting for clean water in Flint: Mari Copeny

Soon the world will know my name, my time is now. I am not just the future but I am the present, watch me change the world. #HereWeAre pic.twitter.com/u4qVfbfgoE

— Mari Copeny (@LittleMissFlint) March 5, 2018

Amariyanna “Mari” Copeny is one of the youngest activists on Twitter. The ten year old, who posts under the handle “Little Miss Flint” with her mother’s help, has been fighting for clean water in Flint, Michigan for the past few years. Copeny has organized water drives and distributed school supplies to other children in Flint, where costly bottled water claimed many families’ budgets. She also attended the Congressional hearings on the water crisis in Washington, DC. 

She became famous for her letter to then-president Barack Obama in 2016, which prompted him to visit Flint himself. “Letters from kids like you are what make me so optimistic for the future,” he wrote back. 

Copeny also met President Trump, who had a part in facilitating the $100 million EPA grant to fix Flint’s infrastructure. Her reaction to meeting him was noticeably different. She later criticized Trump in a video because “He didn’t even let me ask one question.” 

Little Miss Flint is all of us in 2016. pic.twitter.com/grsNmSTBnd

— Abraham White (@abwhite7) September 15, 2016

Copeny also raised $16,000 through GoFundMe to help underprivileged children in Flint see Black Panther. The campaign raised enough to buy 750 tickets and Black Panther merchandise, according to the Washington Post. 

Although Flint’s lead levels are low enough for federal standards, residents say they’re still experiencing negative effects. Copeny has been running a campaign called “Don’t Forget Flint,” selling shirts to remind people that the water crisis isn’t over. Proceeds will go to the anti-bullying program TSP.

How to follow Copeny:

You can follow Copeny on Twitter, where she frequently posts with her mother’s supervision.

The young advocates fighting for equality on all fronts show just what modern feminism should look like. There’s no such thing as “too young” to be an activist. 

WATCH: Vans is teaching girls in India how to skate

Read more: https://mashable.com/2018/03/08/young-activists-to-follow/

from Viral News HQ http://ift.tt/2tOQeZG via Viral News HQ

[news-mashable-yahoopartner-blog]

7 inspiring young activists to follow on International Women's Day

International Women's Day is an annual, global event that pushes for women's rights. In today's political climate, there's a lot to be done in achieving equality.

Feminism isn't all pink hats and snappy tweets — to be an intersectional feminist, you need to acknowledge the many levels of inequality that affect women worldwide. 

SEE ALSO: Chloe Kim, Patty Jenkins, and more get their own Barbie dolls for International Women's Day

From young women fighting for access to clean water to those advocating for gun control or acceptance and trans rights, here are seven young activists you should know about for International Women's Day. 

The woman tackling mental health stigma: Elyse Fox

A post shared by Elyse Fox (@elyse.fox) on Feb 26, 2018 at 10:36am PST

Elyse Fox runs Sad Girls Club, an online and in-person community dedicated to promoting mental health awareness among young women. The 27-year-old got her start on Tumblr, where she wrote about struggling with depression. She released a short documentary about her mental health called Conversations with Friends one year ago.

After releasing Conversations with Friends, Fox received hundreds of messages from other young women struggling with mental illness. She created Sad Girls Club as a community to tackle the stigma surrounding mental illness and help other young women with access to therapy. In addition to the online platform, Sad Girls Club hosts monthly meetings in New York. 

How to follow Sad Girls Club:

Here are the Instagram and Twitter accounts for Sad Girls Club. You can follow Fox on Instagram, too, at @elyse.fox.

The teenager who organized a mass student walkout in NYC: Hebh Jamal 

Thank you @TeenVogue @petracollins #21under21 pic.twitter.com/jCk6SH7RyU

— Hebh Jamal (@hebh_jamal) December 15, 2017

When Hebh Jamal was 15, she was featured in a New York Times article about young people facing Islamophobia in the midst of the 2016 presidential election. After the story was published, Jamal was invited to speak at local schools, and became politically active. At 17 years old, the first generation Palestinian-American organized a mass student walk-out in New York City to protest Trump's travel ban against majority-Muslim countries. 

Since then, she's worked extensively to organize rallies and advocate against Islamophobic agendas. Still fresh out of high school, she's now the Director of Public Relations of Integrate NYC, an advocacy group dedicated to diversifying public schools.

She told Broadly that although she understands that her activism is interesting because of her young age, she wants to create a movement of thousands of voices, not just her own. "I want to emphasize it isn't about one person," she said, "Although it's really great that I'm able to have a platform that a lot of Muslim women are not able to have I really want to use it to emphasize that it needs to be a movement." 

How to follow Jamal:

You can keep up with Jamal's work on Twitter and Instagram.

The first transgender women's officer in the British Labour Party: Lily Madigan

Did a tv interview for channel 4 x

A post shared by Lily Tessa Madigan (@lilytessamadigan) on Dec 6, 2017 at 12:55pm PST

At only 20 years old, Lily Madigan is the first transgender person to hold public office as a women's officer in the British Labour Party. She came out as trans when she was 16, but her Catholic high school threatened to suspend her if she presented as a woman in class and insisted on using her male name. Madigan visited law firms in London until she found one that would represent her for free. The school eventually apologized.

She was elected in November 2017 amidst pushback from other politicians who claimed that because Madigan was assigned male at birth, she was unqualified for the position of women's officer.

Completely false. Obviously. Women’s and trans rights will never be mutually exclusive. Get over yourselves 💁🏼‍♀️ (also stop misgendering?) Nothing like a bit of human decency 👌 https://t.co/MKjuuclowf

— Lily Madigan 🤝🌹 (@madigan_lily) March 2, 2018

Despite the transphobic tweets she's received, she's still determined to be the UK's first trans member of Parliament. In a Guardian essay in remembrance of Harvey Milk, Madigan wrote: "I’m constantly attacked for running for women’s roles as a transwoman. Milk rightly spoke on ending the disenfranchisement of oppressed groups in politics, and how we can’t always be representative but we must be inclusive. To loosely paraphrase him: I fight for women because I’m one of them."

How to follow Madigan:

You can follow her on Twitter and Instagram. 

The student taking on the NRA: Emma Gonzalez

Image: Rhona wise/Getty Images

Emma Gonzalez survived the mass shooting at Stoneman Douglas High School in Florida, and has since become an outspoken advocate for tougher gun control in the United States. Her Feb. 17 speech in Fort Lauderdale, three days after the shooting, went viral. She called out politicians who accepted donations from the NRA, and implored her audience to contact their local representatives. 

Gonzalez now has more Twitter followers than the NRA, and uses her platform to push for stronger gun control laws. 

Friendly reminder that the argument to Protect Schools completely ignores Churches, Malls, Concerts, etc. that have also been host to mass shootings - we can’t build our world out of Kevlar, just remove the guns that cause the most carnage it’s so Simple

— Emma González (@Emma4Change) March 6, 2018

The high school senior also confronted NRA spokesperson Dana Loesch during a CNN Town Hall and told her, "I want you to know we will support your two children in a way that you will not."

In an essay for Harpers's Bazaar, Gonzalez criticized the adults who were skeptical of the teen-led movement. "We have always been told that if we see something wrong, we need to speak up; but now that we are, all we're getting is disrespect from the people who made the rules in the first place," she wrote, "Adults like us when we have strong test scores, but they hate us when we have strong opinions." 

How to follow Gonzalez:

You can keep up with Gonzalez's activism on Twitter.

The woman who united Sioux youths to fight the DAPL: Jasilyn Charger

Jasilyn Charger co-founded the One Mind Youth Movement when she was 19 years old, after a wave of young people on the Cheyenne River Sioux Reservation died by suicide. The youth group, formed with Charger's cousin Joseph White Eyes and friend Trenton Casillas-Bakeberg, petitioned the tribal council for youth safe houses. The youth movement became politically active and also protested the Keystone XL pipeline that would cut through the Cheyenne River and the Dakota Access pipeline that would go through the neighboring Standing Rock Sioux Tribe's land. 

Charger and White Eyes formed a prayer camp in Standing Rock called "Sacred Stone." Although it received little support from tribal elders, it became a safe haven from drugs and alcohol for native teenagers. To further raise awareness, One Mind Youth Movement ran a 500 mile relay run from North Dakota to Nebraska to deliver a letter to the Army Corps of Engineers. The letter asked the Army Corp to deny the pipeline's access to the Mississippi River. The run involved young people from several Sioux reservations, according to the New York Times. 

After the run, Charger and other members of the One Mind Youth Movement stayed at Standing Rock to continue to protest. She told Democracy Now that she wants more young women to get involved: "Don’t listen to the men. Don’t listen to people telling you to go away. Make that mind up for yourself."

How to follow Charger:

Although Charger doesn't have any public social media accounts, you can follow One Mind Youth Movement on Facebook.

The student who ran for city council: Nadya Okamoto

Happy Lunar New Year 🌸 My resolution is that this is going to be the year that I learn to fully embrace my racial and ethnic identity, something I’ve struggled with growing up. I am energized and determined to learn more about my heritage and Asian American culture, and seek out and share the stories of badass AAPI trailblazers who have paved the way for young women like me. 💪🏽

A post shared by Nadya Okamoto (@nadyaokamoto) on Feb 17, 2018 at 6:40pm PST

Nadya Okamoto made headlines last year when she ran for Cambridge City Council in Massachusetts at only 19 years old, making her the youngest candidate in the race. She ran on a platform of housing policy, focussing on the prevention of gentrification in Cambridge's low-income neighborhoods. Although she ultimately lost the election, the Harvard College student remained active in civic engagement.

In 2014, she co-founded PERIOD, a nonprofit organization that distributes sanitary products to people in need, aiming to de-stigmatize menstruation through social and legal change. Okamoto's family was homeless during her freshman and sophomore years of high school, and she noticed that care packages for homeless women often lacked menstrual products. 

She was inspired to create PERIOD after conversations with other homeless women, who often resorted to unconventional and unsanitary methods because they couldn't afford pads and tampons. 

"It really is a huge obstacle to global development because it's holding back more than half our population," Okamoto told The Cut in 2016, "We say the menstrual movement is our push to make menstrual hygiene and menstruation a more open topic."

How to follow Okamoto:

Follow Okamoto on Twitter and Instagram to keep up with her work.

The girl fighting for clean water in Flint: Mari Copeny

Soon the world will know my name, my time is now. I am not just the future but I am the present, watch me change the world. #HereWeAre pic.twitter.com/u4qVfbfgoE

— Mari Copeny (@LittleMissFlint) March 5, 2018

Amariyanna “Mari” Copeny is one of the youngest activists on Twitter. The ten year old, who posts under the handle "Little Miss Flint" with her mother's help, has been fighting for clean water in Flint, Michigan for the past few years. Copeny has organized water drives and distributed school supplies to other children in Flint, where costly bottled water claimed many families' budgets. She also attended the Congressional hearings on the water crisis in Washington, DC. 

She became famous for her letter to then-president Barack Obama in 2016, which prompted him to visit Flint himself. "Letters from kids like you are what make me so optimistic for the future," he wrote back. 

Copeny also met President Trump, who had a part in facilitating the $100 million EPA grant to fix Flint's infrastructure. Her reaction to meeting him was noticeably different. She later criticized Trump in a video because "He didn’t even let me ask one question.” 

Little Miss Flint is all of us in 2016. pic.twitter.com/grsNmSTBnd

— Abraham White (@abwhite7) September 15, 2016

Copeny also raised $16,000 through GoFundMe to help underprivileged children in Flint see Black Panther. The campaign raised enough to buy 750 tickets and Black Panther merchandise, according to the Washington Post. 

Although Flint's lead levels are low enough for federal standards, residents say they're still experiencing negative effects. Copeny has been running a campaign called "Don't Forget Flint," selling shirts to remind people that the water crisis isn't over. Proceeds will go to the anti-bullying program TSP.

How to follow Copeny:

You can follow Copeny on Twitter, where she frequently posts with her mother's supervision.

The young advocates fighting for equality on all fronts show just what modern feminism should look like. There's no such thing as "too young" to be an activist. 

WATCH: Vans is teaching girls in India how to skate

[noperiodnowwhat]

I'm so excited about #periodcon 2019 happening in NYC *today*!!! Until just last week I had no idea there were so many other period activists out there!! I can't wait to connect with people as passionate about periods as I am 💓 #Repost @nadyaokamoto (@get_repost) ・・・ I cannot believe #PERIODCON is tomorrow… signed a few hundred of these for all of you coming! We will be gathering #menstrualmovement activists from around the world together for this two-day event along with an incredible roster of speakers right here in NYC! 🙈 . Period activism is challenging because we’re fighting stigma that is so embedded into society and culture — we’re pushing against the status quo around a topic that most people don’t want to talk about or even mention. It’s hard not to feel discouraged by the giggles, smirks, and rejections we might experience regularly from just standing up for something we are truly passionate about: menstrual equity. That’s why #PERIODCON is so special, it’s an opportunity where everyone is smiling and cheering and hugging, all EXCITED and HUNGRY to talk more about periods, menstruation, period poverty, and so much more… it’s amazing… ❤️ . Anyways, to all the chapter members coming: YOU inspire me. In the rough patches of this event planning process, I just kept remembering WHO I was doing this for, and that filled me with all the motivation I needed. I hope that this weekend you have so much FUN, LEARN lots, and leave feeling INSPIRED and READY to take action. 2019 is going to be big, let’s do this. 👊🏽 . Huge thank you to @sharonamckee for bringing this event to life behind the scenes, @betsy_na and Vincent for being my partners in @periodmovement , @darawilk for working with me to pull in sponsors, and @tuprimaeira for engaging our beautiful chapter network ❤️ . Pc @chloe.belangia https://www.instagram.com/p/BtGM31QFr2M/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1h6nl2wfo3z3u