In recognition of the exemplary and critical role that women play as the foundation of civilization and in promoting and advocating for dignity, freedom and equality in our society, and around the world, Bankole Thompson, the nationally acclaimed journalist and racial justice champion, will publish a new book about women who are making social impact.
The 27 women will be chosen by Thompson based on their body of work, compassionate support of marginalized and disenfranchised communities, levels of challenges they surmounted, and the innovations made in advancement of society.
Thompson, who is the executive dean of The PuLSE Institute, a national anti-poverty think tank, which was founded five years ago based on his work on race, poverty and democracy is a twice-a-week opinion columnist at The Detroit News. He was recently named to the National Board of Directors of the historic Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), the signature civil rights organization founded by Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and which led the Civil Rights Movement.
He said he wants the book to tell the untold or poorly told stories of women from all walks of life who are great achievers in their vocations as well as genuine advocates for equality, despite ill-treatments meted out to them by society.
After the successful launch of Thompson’s latest book, Fiery Conscience, which documents the liberating impact of his public service journalism over the decades including speaking truth to power and giving voice to those who have been deliberately excluded to the margins of society, his next interview content-driven book will be published in 2024, discussing women who are defining the era with grace and dignity.
“There are women out there with fiery conscience who have weathered the storm and still did not give in to the perceived limitations of their gender, and still made a difference. In the process they made us a better society. I want their stories to be told in this book,” Thompson said. “I want to help tell the story about the power of their redeeming and overlooked contributions and impact in our society.”
As the pop star and global entrepreneur Rihanna once said, “There’s something so special about a woman who dominates in a man’s world. It takes a certain grace, strength, intelligence, fearlessness, and the nerve to never take no for an answer,” the book will feature women who have succeeded against the odds.
When the abolitionist Sojourner Truth said, “That man over there says that women need to be helped into carriages, and lifted over ditches, and to have the best place everywhere. Nobody ever helps me into carriages, or over mud-puddles, or gives me any best place! And ain’t I a woman?” she was speaking about the fact that women can independently make a difference, which the book will highlight.
“I raise up my voice—not so that I can shout, but so that those without a voice can be heard.… We cannot all succeed when half of us are held back,” the Nobel Laureate Malala Yousafzai once said.
The iconic Congresswoman Maxine Waters added, “We know that when a woman speaks truth to power, there will be attempts to put her down… I’m not going to go anywhere.”
And the philanthropist Melinda Gates agrees when she says, “A woman with a voice is, by definition, a strong woman.”
Several years ago speaking at an empowerment event, media mogul Oprah Winfrey, said, “Empowerment is authority. It’s a signed permission slip to seize the day. It’s the process of getting stronger and more confident and more engaged. To be empowered is to move through the world without fear or apology, and with these gifts, come an even deeper privilege — the ability to take charge of your own life and claim your rights.”
Thompson’s book which will be published by PuLSE Global Publishing, will explain how the women who will be featured in it empowered themselves to take their rightful places in a world that too often ignores their immense contributions.
