Rebel Girls - Rebel Girls Lead: 25 Tales of Powerful Women

Copyright 2020 by Rebel Girls, Inc.

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This is a work of creative nonfiction. It is a collection of heartwarming and thoughtprovoking stories inspired by the life and adventures of twenty-five influential women. It is not an encyclopedic account of the events and accomplishments of their lives.

www.rebelgirls.com

Parts of this work have been previously published in the books Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls, Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls 2, and Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls: 100 Immigrant Women Who Changed the World.

Created by Francesca Cavallo and Elena Favilli
Additional text by Abby Sher, Sarah Parvis, Jestine Ware, and Andrea Debbink
Art direction by Giulia Flamini
Cover illustrations and graphic design by Annalisa Ventura

Printed in Canada, December 2020
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

ISBN: 978-1-953424-06-8

REBEL GIRLS is a global, multi-platform edutainment brand, dedicated to inspiring and instilling confidence in a generation of girls around the world. Born from a 2016 best-selling childrens book, Rebel Girls teaches girls about real-life, diverse, and extraordinary women throughout history, whose stories are brought to life by a coalition of equally amazing women (and men!). In addition to an award-winning book series, podcast, virtual experiences, and toys, the company is expanding its reach to television, live theater, and a digital app. Its community of self-identified Rebel Girls spans more than 85 countries, with 6.5 million books sold in 49 languages and 10 million podcast downloads.

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Dear Rebel,

When Kamala Harris was elected as the first female vice president of the United States, making her the highest-ranking woman elected in US history, it was a cause for celebration for rebel girls everywhere. Another glass ceiling was shattered. Kamala represents all that women can accomplish, and coming from a mixed Jamaican and South Asian heritage, she also represents the wonderful diversity of the United States.

Here at Rebel Girls, we took a moment to reflect on this historic first and started plotting how we could celebrate appropriately. We wanted to share Kamalas inspiring story, as well as other stories of contemporary women who are leading the way leaders like Stacey Abrams, who has been working tirelessly to protect and register voters, and Jacinda Ardern, who has deftly steered New Zealand through the coronavirus pandemic.

To complement the stories of these phenomenal women, we decided to collect stories of beloved leaders from our first three volumes of Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls , such as Malala Yousafzai, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, and Michelle Obama. With Rebel Girls Lead , we want to showcase and honor the courage, ingenuity, and resilience of these rebel women. Each of them use their energy, talents, and enormous hearts to lead the way in government, activism, sports, business, and more.

In this mini edition, you will learn about legendary basketball coach Pat Summitt, who challenged and uplifted her players every day; Wilma Mankiller, who transformed her community as the fi rst female head of the Cherokee Nation; and Xiye Bastida, whose incredible journey as a climate activist is just beginning.

The women in this book started out just like you. They were kids who had dreams and fears, hopes and questions. They were full of curiosity and a desire to make a difference. They faced challenges, and they kept going. And the world will remember them for their leadership.

As you move through the world, remember that you, too, are powerful. You can speak up for the things that matter to you. You can rally people together, and you can fi nd solutions to fi x things that are broken. You can be a leader.

Believe in yourself, and know that you are part of a strong, supportive community of rebel girls worldwide. We are cheering for you.

Stay Rebel!

Jes Wolfe
CEO, Rebel Girls

GYMNAST AND TEAM CAPTAIN

O nce there was a girl named Aly who found magic inside every sunrise. Aly saw the sun rise a lot, because she got up early to practice her cartwheels, jumps, and round-offs. From the time she could walk, she was in love with gymnastics.

When she turned ten, Aly told her coaches, Im going to go to the Olympics, and Im gonna win floor. She had just met these new coaches a few days before. But they took one look at her bright, determined face and knew she meant business. A few years later, she began collecting gold medals in major competitions. She flipped and vaulted, soaring through the air in glittering leotards. Her favorite routines were on the floor, where she danced and leaped with a huge smile.

In 2012, Aly made her dreams come true. She was going to the Olympics! She and her incredible teammates were nicknamed the Fierce Five. And these fierce gymnasts chose her to be their team captain. Being a gymnastics team captain is challenging. The athletes compete together to win team medals. But they also compete against one another for individual medals.

Aly did her best to bring out the strongest performance in each member of the team. She knew when to give a teammate space, when to give a pep talk, and when to tell them all to take a nap.

Her efforts paid off. Aly won a gold medal for her floor exercise, and she led the team to a gold medal, too. And four years later, Captain Aly went back to the Olympics and did it again. She won six more medals! Through it all, she says, It is the journey and not the destination that really matters.

BORN MAY 25, 1994
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

ILLUSTRATION BY
SALINI PERERA

AS LONG AS YOU HAVE ONE PERSON WHO BELIEVES IN YOU... THERES A LOT OF MAGIC IN THAT.

ALY RAISMAN

CHANCELLOR

O nce upon a time, in Templin, Germany, there lived a seven-year-old girl named Angela. One Sunday, she was listening to her fathers sermon in church when her mother started to cry.

Whats the matter? Angela asked.

They are going to build a wall, her mother said. They want to seal off the border between East Germany and West Germany.

Angela was stunned. Why would they build a wall? she thought. People should be free to go wherever they like.

The Berlin Wall prevented East Germans from going to the West. They were also barred from listening to the news coming from the other side.

Every day, Angela hid in the school bathroom with a little radio. It was illegal to listen to stations from the West. But she didnt care. She wanted to know what was happening in her country!

When Angela grew up, she studied chemistry. She wanted to become a university professor. But the government had a special force known as the secret police. They told Angela that she would be promoted, but only if she spied on others. Angela refused. She never became a professor.