Four reasons to celebrate Hillary Clinton's legacy on International Women's Day

In Dec. 2011, Clinton gave a speech on behalf of International Human Rights Day in Geneva, urging for world leaders to better protect the rights and freedoms of those in LGBT communities around the world. With an audience that included representatives from countries where homosexuality is illegal, Clinton defended the rights of LGBT people, stating that, ‘It is violation of human rights when people are beaten or killed because of their sexual orientation.'Former Defense Secretary Leon Panetta credited Clinton for fueling his decision to lift the ground combat exclusion policy for servicewomen. At an awards ceremony last month, Panetta said, '[In] many ways, I have to tell you, it was her inspiration that encouraged me to move forward to be able to bring down the last barriers for women in the Department of Defense and to give them the ability to have a chance to engage in combat.' Clinton went on to receive the Distinguished Public Service Award, the Defense Department’s highest civilian honor.At the APEC Women and the Economy Forum held in Russia in June 2012, Clinton introduced two new APEC initiatives that encouraged governments to better support female entrepreneurs and work with major banks in the Asia-Pacific region to increase women’s economic opportunities. Earlier that same year in Columbia, Clinton also launched WEAmericas, which aims to help female-owned enterprises through mentorships, grants and funding models.View the list »
Within her first year in office, Clinton created the new position of U.S. Ambassador-at-Large for Global Women's Issues and assigned the post to Melanne Verveer, co-founder of the international women’s leadership organization Vital Voices Global Partnership. Additionally, Clinton celebrated the hundredth anniversary of International Women’s Day in 2011 by launching The 100 Women Initiative, a three-week forum that united a hundred women from ninety-two countries to exchange ideas and forge cross-cultural partnerships.

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Friday marks the celebration of International Women’s Day, a multiculturally celebrated holiday that commemorates the achievements and advancements of women across the globe.

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Though women make a difference everywhere everyday, one especially in the spotlight is former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who recently made Newsweek’s cover story last month as,'The Most Powerful Woman in American Politics.'

And while she has not made any plans to revisit politics, Clinton has vowed to continue advocating for women's rights alongside her husband, former President Bill Clinton. Here are some ways Hillary Clinton took ‘girl power’ to a whole new level during her time in office.

View the list
  • Within her first year in office, Clinton created the new position of U.S. Ambassador-at-Large for Global Women's Issues and assigned the post to Melanne Verveer, co-founder of the international women’s leadership organization Vital Voices Global Partnership. Additionally, Clinton celebrated the hundredth anniversary of International Women’s Day in 2011 by launching The 100 Women Initiative, a three-week forum that united a hundred women from ninety-two countries to exchange ideas and forge cross-cultural partnerships.
  • At the APEC Women and the Economy Forum held in Russia in June 2012, Clinton introduced two new APEC initiatives that encouraged governments to better support female entrepreneurs and work with major banks in the Asia-Pacific region to increase women’s economic opportunities. Earlier that same year in Columbia, Clinton also launched WEAmericas, which aims to help female-owned enterprises through mentorships, grants and funding models.
  • Former Defense Secretary Leon Panetta credited Clinton for fueling his decision to lift the ground combat exclusion policy for servicewomen. At an awards ceremony last month, Panetta said, '[In] many ways, I have to tell you, it was her inspiration that encouraged me to move forward to be able to bring down the last barriers for women in the Department of Defense and to give them the ability to have a chance to engage in combat.' Clinton went on to receive the Distinguished Public Service Award, the Defense Department’s highest civilian honor.
  • In Dec. 2011, Clinton gave a speech on behalf of International Human Rights Day in Geneva, urging for world leaders to better protect the rights and freedoms of those in LGBT communities around the world. With an audience that included representatives from countries where homosexuality is illegal, Clinton defended the rights of LGBT people, stating that, ‘It is violation of human rights when people are beaten or killed because of their sexual orientation.'
View the list

, Hillary Clinton Examiner

Angela Dang is a Connecticut-based writer and an alum of University of California-Santa Cruz, one of the few universities in the country that offers a degree in Feminist Studies. Under this major, her emphasis was on Law, Politics, and Social Change. She is especially interested in exploring...

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