5 women trailblazers we’re thankful for

For this week of Thanksgiving, MAKERS is highlighting five amazing women we are grateful for. From ages 13 to 95 in everything from sports and space to medicine and movies, these trailblazers work tirelessly to break down barriers for women around the world. And for that, we are thankful.

1. Alena Analeigh McQuarter — 'Headed for my future,' in medicine

This summer, 13-year-old Alena Analeigh McQuarter made history as the youngest Black person to be accepted to medical school. Already a college junior who is pursuing two biological science degrees at Arizona State University and Oakwood University in Alabama, McQuarter tells MAKERS it’s all about staying focused on what really matters. “Well, there are many times that little things can get to me. But I never let that get in the way because I'm headed for my future. I'm doing the things that I love and I'm bringing others with me while I'm doing it.” Through her Brown STEM Girl organization, McQuarter provides scholarships and opportunities to other young Black girls with a passion for STEM-related careers.

2. Maybelle Blair — Breaking ground in baseball and beyond

Maybelle Blair is a former player in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League whose story inspired the award-winning film A League of Their Own. Not only did she break boundaries in 1948 as a female athlete, this summer the 95-year-old also announced publicly for the first time in her life that she is gay. Blair joined the MAKERS Conference stage in October and urged the next generation to keep fighting for equality. “That's what you young kids — you are kids to me — that’s what you gotta do is break that barrier and go forward. Don't go backwards.

Teach your daughters we're as equal as a man. But don't give us a job that a man can do better. If we're as equal as a man, let us have that job. And if we're better, let's go above them and get our pay.”

3. Iman Vellani — The first Muslim superhero

This summer, Iman Vellani became the first Muslim superhero in the Marvel Cinematic Universe when she debuted as the title character in the Disney+ series Ms. Marvel. Many of the show’s cast and crew also come from Muslim communities, something the 20-year-old Pakistani-born actress says she hopes to see more of in the future. “I really do hope we're humanizing and normalizing seeing Muslims and South Asians in these types of roles and taking on very powerful characters,” Vellani tells MAKERS.

“This show has so much heart and soul, and it shows that you can make good content with these types of characters in the forefront. And I really hope people see that and put prejudice aside, and just watch it because it's also fun! You can watch something without it always having an agenda or pushing some narrative, or whatever. It's a superhero. She has powers. They're purple. It's cool.”

4. Loretta J. Ross - A pioneer for reproductive rights

Loretta J. Ross has been an advocate for reproductive justice among women of color through decades of grassroots organizing. In 1997, she co-founded SisterSong, a national multiethnic network of women working to secure reproductive freedoms for the country’s marginalized communities. Named a 2022 MacArthur Fellow for her human rights work, Ross joined this year’s MAKERS Conference to discuss the issue of abortion.

She says part of the problem is that women are simply too afraid to talk about it. “The stigma, the silence is a tool of oppression. It's how they keep us in place. That we feel too ashamed to be able to talk about it with each other and then organize,” says Ross. “I would say, have full-throated conversations about abortion. Say the word. And just that little bit can create big change.”

5. Mae Jemison — The first Black female astronaut to space

In 1992, Mae Jemison blasted into orbit on the space shuttle Endeavour, making her the first Black woman ever to travel into space. “If there had been thousands of people that had gone up, or if there had never been a single person, I just wanted to go into space,” Jemison tells MAKERS. Once she made the historical flight, the former astronaut says she knew she had to do more. “I had a responsibility, right? So, my first responsibility is to do my job excellently. And the second was to make sure, once I have a place at the table, to use my position.” After retiring from NASA, Jemison created an international science and technology camp for middle schoolers called The Earth We Share. Jemison now works with the United States Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) on the 100 Year Starship project that aims to send humans beyond our solar system in the next century.