Introducing 5 of the Bravest Women of Our Time

There have been many accounts of brave and courageous women throughout history from Boudicca to Joan of Arc, but what about brave women of today? Here we have compiled a list of just some of them.

Bravery and courage come in many shapes and forms, it is not always witnessed by a one off event but sometimes it is the applied courage shown every day in the little things we do that make the greatest difference.

Here are a list of women who are making (or have made) a big difference through their brave actions, courage and unrelenting determination to ’do the right thing’.

1) Aung San Suu Kyi

Source
Source

Aung San Suu Kyi is a true heroine of our time.

She is famous for her political struggle and sacrifice for her beloved Burma. She is one of the world’s most prominent political prisoners having been detained under house arrest for 15 years up until November 2010 when she was released.

Her crime? Being opposed to the brutal opposition regime in Burma and trying to bring about democratic rule. Despite the many sacrifices she made (she was offered freedom if she left her country) this remarkable and brave woman stood by her principles for the country she loved.

This sacrifice meant that she did not get to see her terminally ill husband before he passed away because he was not granted a visa to Burma.  Even though during this period she was temporarily freed from  house arrest, she felt she could not trust the controlling military junta to let her back in the country if she were to leave.

She was also separated from her children for many years until 2011 because of her house arrest, the children who were living in the UK have since been able to visit her in Burma.

She has received many awards as testament to her bravery and courage including the Nobel Peace Prize in 1991 and the Congressional Gold Medal in 2012.

She continues to campaign for political reform in Burma.

2) Jane Tomlinson CBE  (21 February 1964 – 3 September 2007)

Source
Source

Jane Tomlinson was a British amateur athlete who raised millions of pounds for charity by undertaking various sporting challenges even though she was suffering from terminal cancer.

Despite her ill health she completed the London Marathon three times, the New York Marathon once, completed several triathlons and also cycled across Europe and the United States to name just a few of her remarkable achievements.

What Tomlinson represents is strength through adversity, the undeniable power of love, the attitude of never giving up and above anything else; she is an inspiration to us all.

If Tomlinson could raise money for worthwhile causes and undertake sporting challenges which would tax even a fit healthy person while terminally ill, it makes the rest of us realize what we might also be able to achieve.

Since her death in 2007 the Jane Tomlinson Appeal has gone on to raise more money and inspired many others to participate in sporting and other events for good causes.

3) Malala Yousufzai

Source
Source

Malala Yousafzai is a brave and courageous Pakistani school girl from the Swat District of Pakistan.

She is world renowned for her courage in standing up for women’s education rights, especially in the region she lived where Taliban rule had forbidden girls from attending school.

At the age of 11 to 12, she famously wrote an anonymous blog for the BBC about her life under Taliban rule. This lead to a New York Times documentary about her life and she was to be nominated for the International Children’s Peace Prize by South African activist Desmond Tutu.

Unfortunately, the media coverage and attention left Malala’s life at risk and on 9 October 2012, Malala was shot in the head and neck on a school bus in an assassination attempt by Taliban gunmen.

Fortunately Malala survived the attack, and after intense rehabilitation she now continues to be an activist for women’s rights.  If the Taliban wanted to silence Malala, they have done exactly the opposite, and she is now more widely known than ever.

There are not many people who would continue to publicly speak out when they know their life is in danger, but for this brave young woman , speaking up for what is right is more important.

4) Sibel Edmonds

Source
Source

What would you do if you came across sensitive information in your job which you believed endangered national security? Many people might just keep it quiet in fear of losing their job or worse.

However for Sibel Edmonds, this just was not an option.

While working as an FBI translator Edmonds came across information which she believed threatened national security and accused a colleague of a cover up. Her whistleblowing resulting in her being fired from her position and she was later to write a memoir about her experience.

She went on to found the National Security Whistleblowers Coalition (NSWBC) and is currently editor of the Boiling Frogs Post, a media site which offers nonpartisan investigative journalism.

Regardless of what people think of her claims, one thing is for sure; this woman certainly had balls and acted on her principles. Something we could all learn from.

5) Ceyda Sungur

Source
Source

Ceyda Sungur is known as the ’Lady in The Red Dress’, not anything to do with the classic song by Chris DeBurgh or fashion, but as a symbol of ’people power’ in Turkey.

Ceyda, an academic at Istandbul’s Technical University, came to the world media’s attention when she was caught on camera being sprayed head to foot with tear gas by riot police earlier in 2013.

With her shocking red dress, beautiful dark locks of hair and white shoulder bag, the image was a shocking one which garnered worldwide attention to the civilized protests in Turkey and the heavy handed response of those in charge.

Ceyda was not a masked anarchist and did not pose a threat to security, looking more like she was going on a picnic than to a riot, she was in  Istanbul’s Taksim Square as part of a peaceful protest. She was among a small group of people who made their way to the Gezi Park, an urban park next to Taksim Square, to defend it from the bulldozers.

The image of the woman in red has now become an iconic figure for the uprising in Turkey.  It stands for ‘people power’ and what we can all achieve once we come together.

For this reason the image of Ceyda Sungur has come to represent the hero in us all.

I hope you have been inspired by the stories of these remarkable women. At the end of the day, these women are all just ordinary people like you and me, but who have done or witnessed extraordinary things. We all have the power within us to make changes to not just our own lives but also the lives of others and these women are testament to this.

About the author

Eleanor Goold

As well as being an avid reader, Eleanor is also a big time animal lover; especially of dogs. If you have a tail, four legs and you bark…. you’re in! In her spare time she enjoys swimming, and vegetable gardening… but not at the same time (it can get a bit messy).

Add Comment

Click here to post a comment