Dear Girls of the World,

We may look different, different colors, different sizes, different beliefs, but we all share the same goal, equality. As girls, we have faced battles, in some countries fighting for the rights to vote or drive, in others to get payed equally, and the battles that our sisters face will not be put down or forgotten. Girls together can rise up and fight for change. Constantly, we are put down or belittled, it is our turn to rise, to stand, to fight for what we believe in as one, change. Although what lies ahead is not certain, empowering each other, raising each other up, will only be to our benefit. Do not pit other women against each other, it will only bring us down. We live in a society, a world, where girls often are looked down upon and seen as inferior to boys. Harmful world practices, such as child marriages and female genital mutilation are constantly endangered the lives of girls worldwide. The stigmas against women in third world countries, even associating with their periods, hold them back from achieving their greatest potential. I call myself a feminist proudly, but being a feminist doesn't mean only dwelling on the issues that you are faced with at home, it calls for you to be aware for the issues of others, near or far from you, and to fight for equality. To raise eachother up, there are steps we must take, legally, financially, and socially to strive for the better for our sisters of the world. Through providing equal education oppurtunites, girls will be entitled to learn about the world around them and learn how to address problems that the world is facing. This can give them the power to succeed and learn for herself and find her passions. Putting women in leadership positions helps them to find their voice and speak up for what they believe in. Empowering and encouraging girls to succeed should have happened a long time ago, however as equality is not achieved, we will keep on fighting and uniting for our goal. Feminism, as a movement, has achieved a great deal in its time, but it still has a long way to go before every truly is equal. Malala Youfaszi put it better than I ever could "we cannot succeed when half of our are held back", so to encourage the longetivity of theis important movement we must fight for girls around the world, not just those at home.

Hannah Fink