4 FOREWORD Dear Rebel When Kamala Harris was elected as the first female vice president of the United States making her the highest-ranking woman elected in US history it was a cause for celebration for Rebel Girls everywhere Another glass ceiling was shattered Kamala represents all that women can accomplish and coming from a mixed Jamaican and South Asian heritage she also represents the wonderful diversity of the United States Here at Rebel Girls we took a moment to reflect on this historic first and started plotting how we could celebrate appropriately We wanted to share Kamala's inspiring story as well as other stories of contemporary women who are leading the way leaders like Stacey Abrams who has been working tirelessly to protect and register voters and Jacinda Ardern who has deftly steered New Zealand through the coronavirus pandemic To complement the stories of these phenomenal women we decided to collect stories of beloved leaders from our first three volumes of Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls such as Malala Yousafzai Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Oprah Winfrey With Rebel Girls Lead we want to showcase and honor the courage ingenuity and resilience of these rebel women Each of them use their energy talents and enormous hearts to lead the way in government activism sports business and more
5 In this mini edition you will learn about legendary basketball coach Pat Summitt who challenged and uplifted her players every day Wilma Mankiller who transformed her community as the first female head of the Cherokee Nation and Xiye Bastida whose incredible journey as a climate activist is just beginning The women in this book started out just like you They were kids who had dreams and fears hopes and questions They were full of curiosity and a desire to make a difference They faced challenges and they kept going And the world will remember them for their leadership As you move through the world remember that you too are powerful You can speak up for the things that matter to you You can rally people together and you can find solutions to fix things that are broken You can be a leader Believe in yourself and know that you are part of a strong supportive community of Rebel Girls worldwide We are cheering for you Stay Rebel Jes Wolfe CEO Rebel Girls
ALY RAISMAN GYMNAST AND TEAM CAPTAIN Once there was a girl named Aly who found magic inside every sunrise Aly saw the sun rise a lot because she got up early to practice her cartwheels jumps and round-offs From the time she could walk she was in love with gymnastics When she turned 10 Aly told her coaches I'm going to go to the Olympics and I'm gonna win floor She had just met these new coaches a few days before But they took one look at her bright determined face and knew she meant business A few years later she began collecting gold medals in major competitions She flipped and vaulted soaring through the air in glittering leotards Her favorite routines were on the floor where she danced and leaped with a huge smile In 2012 Aly made her dreams come true She was going to the Olympics She and her incredible teammates were nicknamed the Fierce Five And these fierce gymnasts chose her to be their team captain Being a gymnastics team captain is challenging The athletes compete together to win team medals But they also compete against one another for individual medals Aly did her best to bring out the strongest performance in each member of the team She knew when to give a teammate space when to give a pep talk and when to tell them all to take a nap Her efforts paid off Aly won a gold medal for her floor exercise and she led the team to a gold medal too And four years later Captain Aly went back to the Olympics and did it again She won three more medals Through it all she says It is the journey and not the destination that really matters BORN MAY 25 1994 UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 6
13 AS LONG AS YOU HAVE ONE PERSON WHO BELIEVES IN YOU THERE'S A LOT OF MAGIC IN THAT ALY RAISMAN ILLUSTRATION BY SALINI PERERA 2012
