Lindsay Sobel started her charity Shoes for Souls after seeing the widespread homelessness in Los Angeles.

When Lindsay Sobel was 12 years old, she attended a basketball game at LA's Staples Center arena and was struck by the high levels of homelessness in the area. “I noticed a lot of them were in really awful living conditions, no way any person should have to live. On top of that, I noticed a lot of them did not even have shoes on," she recalls. "At 12 years old, I was like, 'Wow, people don’t have shoes?’ It kind of put things into perspective for me." This experience started the now 17-year-old on a journey that has led her to donate over 30,000 pairs of shoes to people in need throughout Southern California — an incredible accomplishment that she says "makes me full of joy because of the fact that I’m able to help people out.” Continue reading → Continue reading

Janet Yellen was sworn in as U.S. Treasury Secretary today, making her the first woman in the Treasury's 232-year history to hold the position.

Janet Yellen was sworn in as U.S. Treasury Secretary today, making her the first woman in the Treasury's 232-year history to hold the nation's most powerful economic position. Yellen was confirmed with broad bipartisan support on a 84-15 vote by the Senate yesterday. She is now the first woman to hold all three top economic job in the federal government having previously served as the chair of Council of Economic Advisors and the chair of the Federal Reserve. Yellen's first priority in her new role will be steering the administration's new stimulus plan, designed to revive the pandemic-battered economy, through Congress and, once approved, oversee the deployment of relief aid to individuals and businesses. Continue reading → Continue reading

The original plan called for the new design to be unveiled in 2020 on the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment.

The White House announced today that the U.S. Treasury Department will resume efforts to put abolitionist Harriet Tubman on the $20 bill. "It's important that our notes... reflect the history and diversity of our country, and Harriet Tubman's image gracing the new $20 note would certainly reflect that," White House press secretary Jen Psaki stated during a press conference. Continue reading → Continue reading

Amanda Gorman, the United States' first-ever youth poet laureate, recited her stirring poem "The Hill We Climb" at the inauguration.

Amanda Gorman, the United States' first-ever youth poet laureate, recited her stirring poem The Hill We Climb, which is reprinted below, at the January 20, 2021 inauguration of President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris. The 22-year-old recent Harvard graduate was the youngest Inaugural Poet in history. Continue reading → Continue reading

Vice President Kamala Harris was sworn in alongside President Joe Biden on January 20, 2021.

In a historic first, Kamala Harris was sworn in as the first female vice president in America's 244-year history alongside President Joe Biden! When he announced Harris' historic selection in August, Biden praised Harris as a “fearless fighter for the little guy, and one of the country’s finest public servants.” The daughter of an immigrant mother from India and an immigrant father from Jamaica, Harris will be the first African American and first South Asian American vice president in history. Harris has said that she hopes to be the first of many capable women in her new role: "My mother would look at me and she’d say, 'Kamala, you may be the first to do many things, but make sure you are not the last. That’s why breaking those barriers is worth it. As much as anything else, it is also to create that path for those who will come after us." Continue reading → Continue reading

A Mighty Girl's top picks of girl-empowering reimaginings of twelve traditional fairy tales from Rapunzel to Cinderella!

It’s a rare person who hasn’t heard traditional fairy tales like Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Red Riding Hood, and more — in fact, variants of stories like these exist in most world cultures! But one of the most evocative aspects of fairy tales is how they change to suit the times... and in a time when Mighty Girl stories are in great demand, it’s no surprise that there are some terrific empowering spins on classic fairy tales! Continue reading → Continue reading

A Mighty Girl's top picks of new biographies about Mighty Women for adult readers.

Nothing is more exciting than discovering an intriguing new biography or memoir — especially when it tells the story of a mighty woman! From thrilling stories about women war heroes, to engaging biographies about the pioneering suffragists who won women the vote, to searing accounts of overcoming harassment and abuse, these books provide an important perspective that's often missing in mainstream history books. And, just as our Mighty Girls love reading books about smart, confident, and courageous girls and women, we know that our adult supporters love their stories too! Continue reading → Continue reading

Our favorite books about Mighty Girls and their hair that encourage a healthy body image and celebrate the diversity of girls' hair!

Long or short, straight or curly, in ponytails or a ballerina bun — there are so many wonderful ways Mighty Girls wear their hair! But hair can also be the source of body image insecurity for many girls as they wonder if their hair is too thick or too flat, the wrong color or the wrong texture. And, of course, even if she loves her hair, there’s always the battle when it comes time to pull out the brush and comb.

In this blog post, we're showcasing stories for young readers about Mighty Girls and their hair. Whether they're celebrating their unique hair, wrestling to keep it under control, or donating it to a worthy cause, these Mighty Girls love their hair — even if they find it a little challenging at times. They also come to recognize that, in the end, it's not the hair that matters: it's the head underneath!

For more Mighty Girl books that explore body image issues, you can find recommendations for both children and teens in our blog post, Celebrating Every Body: 25 Body Image Positive Books for Mighty Girls. Continue reading → Continue reading

A Mighty Girl's 2020 Halloween Gallery is now live! A small sample of the many hundreds of photos submitted can be viewed in our Halloween Highlights blog post.

Thank you to everyone who submitted photos of their Mighty Girls in costume to our 2020 Halloween Gallery! We were awed by the creativity and variety of the Mighty Girl costumes submitted to the gallery. As we've always said, Mighty Girls know that their costume possibilities are limited only by their imaginations and with costumes ranging from ones based on favorite superheroes to ones inspired by historic role models, these Mighty Girls clearly know no bounds! Continue reading → Continue reading

In one state, 80% of domestic violence cases are dismissed, often due to lack of evidence. This app will help change that.

Sheri Kurdakul is a domestic violence survivor, so she knows how hard it can be to prove the systematic nature of abuse: often by the time someone gathers the courage to report their abuser, they're trying to remember details of events that are months or years old. This can make it challenging to build a case against abusers and, unfortunately, many domestic violence cases are dismissed as a result, including 80% of cases in one state. To help make it easier for victims to document abuse, Kurdakul has created an app called VictimsVoice, which records incidences of abuse in a way that's safe, secure, and legally admissible. "What did you have for lunch 10 days ago? What was the weather like? Can you remember without looking at your calendar?" she asks. "If you cannot recall this, then how is a victim supposed to remember something that happened when they are trying to stay safe, protect their kids and pets — months, even years in the past? That’s the problem we solve." Continue reading → Continue reading