For those who are unfamiliar, March 8th is International Women’s Day. This day is meant to celebrate the accomplishments women have made in the world and is a focal point when it comes to women’s rights. I, myself, identify as a female and I truly feel that’s how I am meant to be. So many women today and in the past have accomplished many goals in order for other women to rise and accomplish their own goals. So I wanted to take the time to honor three women who have changed the world or are deserving of recognition for their accomplishments.

Claudette Colvin: Many of you might not know this but Rosa Parks actually wasn’t the first person who was arrested for not giving up her seat on the bus. Colvin’s arrest occurred before Parks’ did but because she wasn’t fair skinned and actually got pregnant at the age of 15, she wasn’t given credit within the Civil Rights Movement; that honor was given to Rosa Parks instead. Colvin allowed others like Rosa Parks the chance to stand up against segregation and was one of the many African Americans who would begin the Civil Rights Movement. For that, she deserves recognition for her part.

Rigoberta Menchú: Rigoberta Menchú is a Guatemalan Human Rights Activist who advocated for indigenous people’s rights and would soon advocate for indigenous people all over the world. She is of Q’iche’ Maya descent and was a strong voice that advocated for indigenous people’s rights during the Guatemalan Civil War as their rights were being violated by the Guatemalan government. She continues to be a strong advocate for human rights and wanting to help indigenous groups and people get the same rights as anyone else. For this, she deserves to be recognized for her part when it comes to human rights.

Selena Quintanilla Perez: Selena Quintanilla Perez was a Tejano singer who broke many barriers within the genre. Despite the fact that Tejano was a male dominated genre, she proved that women can also entertain a crowd just like men do. She would win Female Vocalist of the Year in the Tejano Music Awards 11 times. Last Monday, 27 years ago she broke a huge barrier by winning the Grammy for Best Mexican American Album for her album “Selena: Live” She was the first Tejano singer to ever receive such an award. She even tackled the fashion world and many of her outfits on stage were designed by her. Her music and person allowed other singers like Shakira, Jennifer Lopez, Becky G, and more to go into mainstream music. She is now one of the best selling Latin artists of all time and for these reasons, she too deserves recognition for her part in Latin music. (Fun fact: she’s my all time favorite artist!)

I also wanna shout out our lovely bloggers Jaylynn, Leanne, and Laura for their contributions for the Around the Grove blogs! Give their blogs a read, they’re very enlightening! If you have any questions, concerns, or suggestions, please let me know and I’ll get back to you on that! Thank you for reading my blog and I’ll see you in the next one! 🙂