Women We Honor and Admire
International Women's Day 2026
The REPRO Rising Virginia team is celebrating International Women’s Day on Sunday, March 8 by lifting up the women/femme people who have inspired us and taught us lifelong lessons:
For Women’s History Month, I want to honor Gisèle Pelicot, a French survivor of one of the country’s most shocking mass-rape cases who has become a powerful voice for victims of sexual violence. Pelicot discovered the truth about what had been done to her only after police arrested her husband and showed her videos he had recorded. The footage revealed that for years he had drugged her and invited dozens of men to assault her while she was unconscious. When the case went to trial, Pelicot made the extraordinary decision to testify publicly against her husband and the 50 men accused alongside him. By refusing anonymity and allowing the proceedings to be public, she made sure the truth would be seen and heard. As Pelicot has said, “Shame must change sides.”
During the trial, Pelicot spoke clearly about where responsibility belongs. Addressing the court, she said, “It’s not for us to have shame – it’s for them.” Her words challenged the idea that survivors should carry the burden of silence while perpetrators avoid scrutiny. By confronting what happened to her openly and insisting that the blame lies with those who committed these crimes, Gisèle Pelicot helped shift a global conversation around sexual violence and offered a powerful reminder to survivors everywhere: the shame of abuse belongs with the abuser, not the person who survived it. – Shaun Daniels, campaign and programs manager
Frida Kahlo inspires me not just for her art, but for the fearless way she lived—turning pain into power and refusing to let anyone define her. Her boldness and authenticity challenge me to show up with courage in my work and life. – Allen Gomes, communications associate
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Among all the amazing and powerful women and femmes that surround me, the woman I chose to highlight is Ruth Bader Ginsburg. As a Latina woman, I find the name Ruth a bit unusual. As a child, I did not know why I was named that. But RBG taught me that growing up with that name gives you a calling. She inspires me every day to keep fighting for our rights and bodily autonomy. I love my name because of her. And I hope to make her and all the other Ruths of the world proud! – Ruth Leal, director of development
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My mom, Tuauna, is the hardest working person I know. She cares so much about the people who work for and depend on her, and is always either doing her utmost for them or thinking of ways to do better. My mother’s drive to help people inspires me to do what I can, and I hope to one day embody one tenth of the compassion and work ethic that my mother has shown my entire life. – Trey McDonald, Southwest field organizer
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I would be remiss to not shout out the women and non-dudes in my abortion doula collective who inspire me daily. The way that they show up for abortion seekers with compassion, grace, educational resources, and their whole hearts reminds me that light can be more powerful than darkness, especially in the politically-charged climate around abortion care. I am so lucky to be in community with them and I celebrate them always, but I celebrate them a little bit louder on International Women’s Day. – Devyn Malouf, policy fellow
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The woman I would like to honor for International Women’s Day is my mother, Khanh! She works endlessly hard and has made a lot of everyday sacrifices in order for me to pursue my dreams and get to where I am today. – Katherine Nguyen, development associate
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On this international women’s day, I would like to honor the incredible and revolutionary feminist author bell hooks. Using her knowledge in love, suffering, and domination to spread to her community the same skills for a better society. In her many works she discusses the reality of human thought and how we can all become more loving and how that is the most radical thing we can be, loving. Reminding all of us of the power in community, wanting the equality of female and male, liberation from sexist role patterns. “Hope is essential to any political struggle for radical change when the overall social climate promotes disillusionment and despair.” – Johanna Pasquel, Richmond organizer
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On International Women’s Day, I want to honor my mother, Elaheh Nosrati Shamlou, an artist, potter, business owner, and unapologetic feminist. She was the first person to teach me how to fight my own battles and how to face conflict with courage. She taught me to stand up for what is just, even when it isn’t easy. The woman I am today is a direct reflection of the strength, resilience, and intention she poured into raising me. Born in Iran in 1976, she lived through war and oppressive regimes — realities that could have discouraged or silenced her. Instead, they sharpened her strength and deepened her determination. She not only endured; she built, created, led, and raised a daughter to do the same. I will forever be grateful to her for shaping me into the strong woman I am today. Her courage is my inheritance. – Sara Sanatkar, field and canvass manager
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For International Women’s Day, I want to honor Mary Smith Peake, a humanitarian and educator best known for starting a school for the children of former slaves in the fall of 1861. Her courageous efforts to teach free and enslaved Black people to read at a time when doing so was illegal, under the tree we now know as the Emancipation Oak on the grounds of what later became Hampton University in 1868, are deeply inspiring.
When I was taking AP United States History in high school, I sat next to a photo of Mary Smith Peake every day. I knew who she was and why she mattered historically, but it didn’t click that people in the present could participate and build on the legacy of others until I accepted my offer to attend Hampton University that spring.
Because of the school that grew from her work, I have met some of my closest friends—ones that I consider sisters—and have become an alumna of an institution that continues her legacy in pursuit of education and the beautiful possibilities for African Americans made possible through expanded access to literacy. – Michyah Thomas, student fellowship coordinator
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The woman I want to honor for Women’s History Month/International Women’s Day is my Grandma Irene. I admire her strength and courage, and the unending love she has for our family. – Dominique Washington, operations manager
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On International Women’s Day I want to honor Loretta Ross, a pioneering Black feminist who coined the idea of “calling in, instead of calling out” people you disagree with. Ross was not only a founding mother of the DC Rape Crisis Center – of which I served as a board member – but she also worked through her own trauma in order to educate and serve others. She brought in opponents of feminist and anti-racist causes and turned them into allies with her theory of change through love, and I am forever grateful to her for teaching me that lesson. – Chrisi West, senior communications manager
Frida Kahlo, seated next to an agave. Photo by Toni Frissell. (Public Domain.)
Ruth Bader Ginsburg – Official SCOTUS portrait (cropped). (Public domain)
bell hooks – American author, poet, and feminist. Photo by Cmongirl. (Public Domain)
Mary S. Peake – American teacher and humanitarian. Hampton University Archives. (Public Domain)
Loretta Ross – American scholar, feminist, reproductive rights advocate. Photo: Loretta J. Ross Facebook
