Marielle Franco’s murder was not an ordinary crime but one with a triple meaning: It was an act of femicide, black genocide, and an act of silencing the downtrodden.

Prout has been an activist and advocate ever since she was sexually assaulted by a student at the elite prep school St. Paul’s in 2014. She has since launched the hashtag and movement #IHaveTheRightTo. This month, Prout published a memoir: I Have The Right To: A High School Survivor’s Story of Sexual Assault, Justice, and Hope.

Ahed Tamimi is more than an emblem of Palestinian unity or a symbol of the resistance. She is an inspiring figure for all young feminists to look up to.

By 17 years old, Brazilian swimmer Joanna Maranhão had already broken her country’s record by taking fifth place in the 400 meters at the 2004 Athens Olympic Games. Four years later, memories of the sexual abuse Maranhão suffered at nine years old at the hands of a former swim coach had come back to haunt her.

Mama Tingó, a Black woman revolutionary who fought for working-class farmers, is seldom heard about or celebrated yet was crucial to Dominican history.

With every successful movement inevitably comes backlash, and the #MeToo movement is no exception.

Kunumí MC is a teenage rapper calling attention to the struggles Indigenous people face in Brazil.

I doubt that even years from now our world will be perfect, that all issues of violence will be solved. But I know I will no longer sit idly by when mass shootings kill kids. I will be able to look back and say that I did something.

In light of women’s history month, it’s important to recognize and reflect on the successes of powerful young women. Indeed, much can be learned from how young female activists are using their voices to change the world.

17-year-old Najem, who resides in a suburban area in southwestern Syria that surrounds the city of Damascus, has been documenting the Syrian Civil War through his Twitter account since December 7, 2017. The teen posts photos, videos, and messages that capture what it’s like to be one of the many children and teenagers forced to fight to survive in the middle of the war.

The teen victims of the Stoneman Douglas High School shooting quickly coalesced into a movement: They used the hashtag #NeverAgain to share their experiences on Twitter and made their message clear to mainstream media, too.

The February 14 shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School may be the tragic event that finally leads to the change this country needs to finally address gun control.

The fight against injustice will always be long and often discouraging. The only way to persist is to choose a cause you feel that your life—and the lives of others—depends on, one you can speak to from (for lack of a better, less cheesy phrase) the heart.