Women’s News Round-Up, February 27th: 5 Important Stories About Women
1. Zaha Hadid Is the First Female Architect to Win the RIBA Royal Gold Medal
The Royal Institute of British Architects has given the RIBA Royal Gold Medal, its highest honor, to a woman for the first time: architect Zaha Hadid. Dezeen reports that Archigram founder Peter Cook said, “For three decades now, she has ventured where few would dare.” View the Heydar Aliyev Center she designed below.
2. Force of the Sun Ladies, former ISIS Sex Slaves, Form a Militia (trigger warning)
Yazidi women who escaped ISIS’ sex slavery have joined together and trained as a militia alongside Kurdish Pershmerga forces in Iraq. Girl Talk HQ reports that “the women have been successful in holding back further attacks from ISIS and have managed to protect what is left of their villages and communities.” The New York Times reported in August, 2015 that 3,144 Yazidis were still being held.
3. Pakistan PM Addresses “Honour Killings” (trigger warning)
After viewing a short documentary about “honour killings” by Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy, Pakistan PM Nawaz Sharif called for severe punishment of perpetrators. The Guardian shares that he also stated that laws protecting the killing of family members in the name of “honour” would be changed.
4. POKERprimaDIVAS Group Empowers Women Through The Principles of Poker
With a focus on assertiveness, leadership, networking, and negotiation skills, POKERprimaDIVAS aims to support women’s success in business and life through the training medium of poker. They offer programs in corporate team building, engaging ways to entertain clients, poker tips online, tournaments, a guide to card rooms around the country, a focus on the interpersonal side of poker, and more, all geared towards “learning to be bold and sharpening business skills in a fun and interactive environment,” as explained on their site. The group was created by Ellen Leikind, author of Poker Woman, who will be leading their upcoming event in New York City, “Making Bold Moves” (from Women You Should Know).
5. Rwandan Cyclist Jeanne d’Arc Girubuntu is a Silver Medalist in the African Championships
Silver Medalist Jeanne d’Arc (Joan of Arc) Girubuntu lost first place by one second and Cycling News shares that she was very pleased with her time. Coach Jock Boyer say she “is inspirational and paving a way to women in Rwanda.” Girubuntu told ESPN that she wants African women to know that, “We do not need to follow the culture of getting married young and having children and working the fields.”
*Extra News Flash*
Ten-year-old Egypt “Ify” Ufele makes waves at New York Fashion week with her clothing line for curvy models. Ify Ufele is a bullying survivor and designer who started out with her grandmother’s sewing machine, and in Today she describes her line “Chubiline” as “bringing Africa to America, one design at a time.”
Julia Travers is a writer and artist. Her writing portfolio is here and she runs the artist interview site 5 Questions for the Artist
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Legendary Women, Inc. doesn’t own or profit from the images above and has credited them and quotes.
