Categories: Lifestyle

USA TODAY honors women who have made a difference in our communities

“To be a hero or heroine, you have to give yourself an order.” – Simon Weil

There is something special about those who, in the words of the French philosopher Simone Weil, “give themselves an order” to be a hero or heroine.

USA TODAY’s Women of the Year project honors local and national heroines who make a positive impact in their communities every day.

Unfortunately, heroines are sometimes not recognized for their work. This project is an attempt to remedy that. Across America, USA TODAY readers submitted their nominations for national and state Women of the Year.

USA TODAY’s Women of the Year program is the continuation of our 2020 Women of the Century project, which showcased notable women in American history in the century since they gained the right to vote with the passage of the 19th Amendment.

Stories will be added to this project by the end of March.

Meet USA TODAY Women of the Year honorees across the states, Washington, DC and Puerto Rico. Read their stories

Some of the state honorees from USA TODAY’s Women of the Year.
US TODAY

In 2019, the US women’s national soccer team filed a lawsuit demanding equal pay and working conditions. Alex Morgan and Crystal Dunn explain it. Read the story

USWNT players on winning the fight for equal pay
Illustration: Andrea Brunty, USA TODAY; Photos: USA TODAY, AP

It wasn’t quick and it wasn’t easy, but the rising tide of congressmen is changing Capitol Hill. Read the story

It wasn’t quick and it wasn’t easy, but the increasing number of women in Congress is changing Capitol Hill.
Illustration: Andrea Brunty, USA TODAY, and Getty Images

Women who make a difference are named USA TODAY’s Women of the Year

US TODAY

Our special Women of the Year show, featuring award winners sharing life lessons and inspiring advice, airs March 31 on USA TODAY’s YouTube channel and on the USA TODAY channel, available on most smart TVs and devices is, premiered.

Our Women of the Year are brave, breaking records and overcoming adversity on the path to success. Their achievements vary, but all focus on the importance of improving life in their communities and in our country.

How did we choose USA TODAY’s Women of the Year? It started with nominations from you. In the end, a diverse panel of experts helped determine our final award winners. The panel has been critical to our work and we are grateful for their time and dedication.

Womankind, an inspirational video series from the Humankind franchise, features the untold stories of everyday women doing incredible things. The women of Womankind are entrepreneurs, small business owners, children, mentors, volunteers, teachers, pilots, mothers, friends, grandmothers. They change the world one act, one deal, one relationship at a time. Watch more videos

Womankind: We celebrate women who are changing the world

The astronaut makes history on her hard-fought journey into space

“Brown Bag Lady” cooks delicious dishes that nourish your stomach and soul

This incredible trio proves that age is just a number

This doctor is a hero to Detroit’s homeless

Hayley Arceneaux beat childhood cancer to make space history aboard the Inspiration 4

This entrepreneur has created a solution to wasting excess food

The doctor has dedicated her life to fighting for black mothers

Memphis mom touches lives of 75 foster kids

The 91-year-old activist continues to change the world

Trans women of color create a network of support

Military moms help soldiers like they are family

This big red bus brings hope, food and fun

Mom gives away millions of diapers to babies in need

Aunts form the ultimate sewing crew to save lives

Mom puts together a cheer team for special needs kids

The doctor sets up a free clinic to help the uninsured

Shop USA TODAY’s exclusive Women of the Year merchandise collection and stand together for women’s justice. Shop the collection

Shop USA TODAY’s exclusive Women of the Year merchandise collection and stand together for women’s justice.
US TODAY

Nominate a woman for leadership or resilience for USA TODAY’s Women of the Year project. We are looking for women who will stand up for justice, inspire change, lift others up and give everyday women a place to see themselves. Fill out our form

USA TODAY’s Women of the Year. Above: Janet Murguía, Melinda French Gates, Rosalind Brewer. Center: Kizzmekia Corbett, Simone Biles, Kamala Harris, Nina Garcia. Bottom: Roopali Desai, Rachel Levine, Cheryl Horn, Linda Zhang, Heather Cox Richardson.
Illustration: Andrea Brunty, USA TODAY

These remarkable women are leaders and inspirational across the country. Their stories are as diverse as the honorees themselves. Continue reading

USA TODAY’s 2020 Women of the Century project highlighted the achievements of pioneering women in the 100 years since they gained the right to vote. Discover the stories, podcast, augmented reality experience and more. Explore the project

dr Anna Shaw and Carrie Chapman Catt, founders of the League of Women Voters, led an estimated 20,000 supporters at a women’s election march on Fifth Avenue in New York in 1915.
Photo: Associated Press, Illustration: USA TODAY Network

Read the Women of the Century Questions and Answers:

Rita Moreno: About bravery, your journey and the importance of listening
dr Mona Hanna-Attisha: Lead poisoned water in Flint, Michigan. She risked her reputation to prove it
ruby bridges: She was 6 when she got into a segregated school. Now she teaches children to overcome racial differences
Billie Jean King: On her way to equality in tennis life: “Nobody ever has it easy”
Jessie “Little Doe” Baird: The language had fallen silent. Remarkably, she brought it back, saving far more than words
Tarana Burke: About the power of empathy, the building block of the Me-Too movement
Cristina Jimenez Moreta: She helped get DACA, now she’s helping young immigrants find their voice
Helen Zia: She has seen hostilities against Asian Americans before. “We didn’t learn enough or some people forgot”
Dolores Huerta: At 90, the union leader is still working to make a difference
Gloria Estefan: ‘Be in every moment, that’s the only thing you really have that’s guaranteed’
Madeleine Albright: How she became foreign minister, how she speaks up as a woman and how important it is to denounce injustice