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Meet @srishtibakshi - an inspiring activist who was just named a winner at this year's UN @sdgaction Awards, in the Changemaker category! Her journey of quite literally walking thousands of miles began with a single idea and a single step. A marketer-turned-women’s-rights-activist, Srishti embarked on a pilgrimage of 3,800 kilometers (roughly 2361 miles) through 12 Indian states from Kanyakumari to Kashmir by foot, not only to put a spotlight on the issue of violence against women, but also to empower women and reveal stories of resilience by conducting over 100 workshops focused on women’s safety, along with digital and financial literacy. Srishti captured her journey in the documentary WOMB: @womenofmybillion, released in 2021, which exposes the raw emotions and realities of women living in India today. Through her actions, more than 100,000 individuals have been mobilized across all genders. Ahead of the Action Awards, here's what Srishti told us in an interview about the "On my journey across India I met over 100,000 people and interviewed thousands of young girls and women who all needed to find their lost individual identities outside the four walls of their home and its expectations. Permission is required to go out, work, lead a business, all of this and more. There are insurmountable obstacles for us to have access to basic everyday opportunities. A simple exercise about remembering their 11 year old self and the dreams they had, made every single woman tear up." Read our full interview via the link in our bio! 🚶🏾‍♀️🇮🇳 . . . #UN #SDG #actionawards #changemaker #inspiring #women #girls #india #flipthescript #genderequality #activist #SrishtiBakshi #journey #story #instagood #best

Everybody needs to set a calendar reminder for October 7, when @subhaha’s debut comedy album ‘Dog Show’ will officially be available everywhere comedy is streamed and sold. “The album is centered around the story of me telling my mom I’m not a virgin,” says Subhah Agarwal. “which was a surprise to her and no one else.” In this debut album recorded at New York Comedy Club, she talks about how she used to lead a double life in high school, her very much not conservative adult life, and the time psychics told on her to her mom. She subtly and hilariously broaches topics such as beauty standards, dating dirtbags and having to deal with racist neighbors. Subhah’s punchy style pokes fun at her conservative Indian family including her over-protective mother, and high-achieving brother. Subhah started doing comedy 15 years ago while finishing high school in the suburbs of Chicago. She has written for “Arsenio! Live” on Netflix, “The Jim Jefferies Show” on Comedy Central, “Plan B” movie on Hulu, and “Comedy Knockout” on TruTv, amongst others. Here's what she told us about the topics she chose for 'Dog Show': "Comedy is a coping mechanism so I think a lot of comedy naturally arises as a way to process trauma." And here's her thoughts on whether comedy has improved for women since #MeToo: "The comedy world has definitely changed. A lot of creeps don’t feel as free to act or say certain things. The environment has gotten better. However, there is, without a doubt, still a lot more work to be done." Read our full interview then binge-listen to 'Dog Show' via the link in our bio! 🐕🥈 . . . #SubhahAgarwal #comedian #standup #comedyalbum #Indian #DogShow #racism #beauty #writer #womenincomedy #womenofcolor #instagood #friday #laugh

Do DEI (diversity, equity, inclusion) initiatives actually make a difference? According to a report from McKinsey on women in the workplace, especially since the impact of COVID, the representation of women across all levels in the corporate world has improved since 2020, which is encouraging for sure, but once you start to zero in on the status of women of color, it looks a little more grim. Women of color account for only 4 percent of C-suite leaders, a number that hasn’t moved significantly in the past three years. So where does the work make the most impact on an individual level, if DEI initiatives and data around inequality aren’t enough to create substantial change? For visionary leader, speaker and author Deepa Purushotham, it begins with women of color being empowered to redefine power in the corporate space, rather than trying to adhere to a system that has been traditionally created by and for typically white men in the United States. @Deepa.puru is the author of the bestselling book ‘The First, The Few, The Only’, where she talks about how women of color can redefine power in Corporate America. She was formerly the Managing Partner of WIN, Deloitte’s pioneering, globally renowned Women’s Initiative. She was the first Indian-American woman and one of the youngest people to make partner in the firm’s history. As someone who spent more than 20 years in the corporate world and now as a best-selling author and speaker with over 1 million views of her powerful TED talk, Deepa knows exactly what she's talking about, and how to create effective change. Here's what she told us: "This isn't just about hiring more women of color. You also can’t just put us in a seat. We need WOC to be in full voice if we want culture change. If you want our best, you need to make space for us to lead in our unique ways. This isn’t just about skirts in seats, this is about changing what we consider leadership ready and redefining what leadership is." Read more of her insights via the link in our bio! 📕🏙 . . . #womenofcolor #workplace #corporate #DeepaPurushotham #bestselling #author #TEDtalks #power #leadership #diversity #inclusion #culture #change #instagood #WCW

Infertility is somewhat of a taboo topic in the black community and fertility services have long focused on white overwhelmingly on white women. Studies suggest that Black women may be twice as likely as white women to have fertility problems but are far less likely to seek or receive infertility treatment. So what’s the alternative? Enter Tamara Smith. She is a Fertility Juju Educator who provides readings and fertility rituals to black women who are struggling with infertility. She has amassed a following of over 32K women on Tik Tok who rave about her services and finally being able to conceive after working with her. At a time when women’s bodily autonomy and reproductive rights are under attack on multiple levels, where women of color are being disproportionately harmed, we felt it was important to highlight the work of Tamara Smith as she builds hope, supports women’s dreams, and educates her community about fertility. Here’s what @taminspires told us: "Black folks have always been categorized as fertile and having many kids. It all dates back to slavery. I think we are also stereotyped as hypersexual beings so why wouldn’t we be fertile as well? To add to that, many black women and men in our modern world have disconnected from their bodies...We are seeing over and over that the medical systems, the majority of the time, have failed us by not listening, limited training, and biases... we have to unlearn and remove blockages in our mind, body, and spirit. This is a journey." Learn more about Tamara Smith and her fertility juju expertise via the link in our bio! 🕯🃏🤰🏿 . . . #fertility #blackwomen #educator #reproductivehealth #history #racism #families #babies #pregnancy #women #bodies #TamaraSmith #expert #infertility #stigma #instagood #juju #inspire

Making its broadcast debut on Canada’s CBC network September 23, is the brilliant, confronting, colorful and artistic series called ‘LIDO TV’, a variety show with a mission: to help people cope in a world that feels like it’s falling apart. Created and hosted by Grammy Award-nominated Colombian-Canadian musician Lido Pimienta, the series tackles feminism, colonialism, privilege and more with sketches, inspiring interviews, immersive documentaries, original songs, and surreal puppets. Shot between Canada and Colombia, LIDO TV is a fresh and fabulous take on the variety show format, with special appearances by celebrity guests including Nelly Furtado, Bear Witness, and Shad. LIDO TV is the first show in the history of the CBC to be created, produced, written and starring an Indigenous woman. The series is directed by @mayaannik, a Jamaican-French Canadian director who is Dedicated to fostering a more equitable and inclusive industry. Here's what she told us about what it means to have a variety of perspectives shaping narratives in film and TV. "I strongly believe that diversity in front and behind the camera is important. Who tells these stories matters. I hope LIDO TV encourages people to engage in conversations that they usually find too difficult or disorienting. Our country has a dark past and the effects of this are long lasting. There are a lot of important things happening today that warrant a discussion and I hope LIDO TV provides a starting point." Get a glimpse of LIDO TV via the link in our bio! 📺🌻 . . . #LIDOTV #LidoPimienta #MayaAnnikBedward #womeninfilm #narrative #story #Canada #indigenous #artist #colonialism #comedy #documentary #conversation #femalefilmmakerfriday #instagood

When it comes to having a career in Hollywood, there are many ways to go about achieving success. It is an industry that is constantly growing and evolving, especially with the explosion of digital media. It’s not just A-list celebrities on the big screen who are considered the epitome of success. If there is anyone who has well and truly proven this, it is @noveencrumbie. The successful voiceover actor, also known as Queen Noveen, is an inspiration to the next generation of creatives. You may even recognize Noveen as the voice of the global E! Entertainment Network along with the Golden Globes, but her extensive career also spans into the world of animated series and video games. Most recently, Noveen has brought to life Layla, a character from the highly anticipated video game, Redfall. Having taken to TikTok to reveal her own industry secrets, Noveen’s videos have gained more than 500K views, as she gives an inside scoop on the world of voice acting. Noveen is an example of industry progress for underrepresented communities everywhere. Over the years, as Noveen has risen in an industry typically unavailable to women of color, she has garnered self-confidence and unique tips and tricks that have led to her success, which she shared with us in an interview. Here's what she told us: "There aren’t many opportunities for people of color available to begin with, and it really starts with the kinds of projects being created. I think it’s essential for us to see POC (people of color) in animated films, TV shows, commercials, video games, etc because that in turn creates more opportunities. But most importantly, it depicts a realistic view of what the world actually looks like." Read more about Queen Noveen's career via the link in our bio! 👑 . . . #QueenNoveen #voiceover #actor #Hollywood #womenofcolor #videogames #Redfall #tiktok #success #animation #instagood

A love letter to Syria and its people, debut YA author Zoulfa Katouh’s ‘As Long as the Lemon Trees Grow’ is a speculative novel set amid the Syrian Revolution, burning with the fires of hope, love, and possibility. It has been described as one of the most anticipated YA reads for the Fall. This powerful story of survival and resilience during wartime is both harrowing and heartbreaking, as well as the hope and happiness that can be found despite these horrific circumstances. ‘As Long as the Lemon Trees Grow’ offers a much-needed window into the Middle Eastern – specifically Syrian – experience in the midst of war. Salama Kassab was a pharmacy student when the cries for freedom broke out in Syria. She still had her parents and her big brother; she still had her home. She had a normal teenager’s life. Now Salama volunteers at a hospital in Homs, helping the wounded who flood through the doors daily. Secretly she is desperate to find a way out of her beloved country before her sister-in-law, Layla, gives birth. Salama is torn between her loyalty to her country and her conviction to survive. Salama must contend with bullets and bombs, military assaults, and her shifting sense of morality before she might finally breathe free. And when she crosses paths with the boy she was supposed to meet one fateful day, she starts to doubt her resolve in leaving home at all... Here's what @thelemonwitch_ said she hopes readers will learn about her book: "Syrians aren’t just numbers, statistics read on the news. These are real people with real stories that happened to them. They have ambitions and dreams, and they had a home that was taken from them. People fear the unknown. It makes them jittery. And if they’re fed wrong ideas about a certain group of people, it only begets fear and animosity. Stories like this teach empathy." Read more about Zoulfa's book via the link in our bio! 💙💛 . . . #Syria #conflict #revolution #ZoulfaKatouh #YAnovel #author #bookstagram #storytelling #empathy #instagood #middleeastern #stereotypes #resilience

June 24, 2022 will forever be etched into our minds as a day that the US Supreme Court decided to send America backward by overturning Roe v Wade, in the Dobbs v Jackson Women’s Health Organization case. Making federal abortion illegal on a federal level and sending all abortion laws back to the states, putting many pregnant people’s lives in jeopardy, is a terrifying thought, based on what we know of history in pre-Roe days. But there is a lot we can learn from history, which can also give us comfort in the days and years ahead in this new landscape. Before Roe v Wade was decided in 1973, there was a secretive underground organization helping women access abortion care from doctors, and some members even training to perform abortions themselves. The history of the Jane collective can now be seen in a new feature film, starring Elizabeth Banks, Sigourney Weaver and Kate Mara. Coming to theaters October 28, the film also features Emmy-nominated actress Bianca D’Ambrosio, who plays Kate Mara’s daughter Erin in the film, who has previously been seen on ‘The Young and the Restless’, ‘Parks and Rec’, ‘Criminal Minds’ and more. Here's what Bianco told us is an interview about why the fight for choice is more important than ever: "I was raised in a Christian family. Views about topics such as premarital sex and abortion were fairly rigid from a religious perspective...For fifty years, women have had this right. Now, it is gone. It is hard to believe that we have gone so far backwards. We filmed “Call Jane” to take place in the 1960’s but we could have easily filmed it to take place in 2022 because the struggle for choice has resurfaced. “Call Jane” was an eye-opener for me because it taught me about choice, true choice. Choice is private and personal and should not be judged or open to infiltration." Read more about 'Call Jane' and Bianca's work via the link in our bio. 🎬 . . . #CallJane #Janecollective #abortion #reproductiverights #pregnancy #prochoice #choice #womensrights #roevwade #history #instagood #biancadambrosio