Sarah Hesterman is an American gender equality activist and a U.S. delegate to the United Nations Youth Assembly.[1] In 2014 she was named as one of the BBC 100 Women.[2]
Early life and education
editHesterman was born in the United States to John W. Hesterman, a lieutenant general in the Air Force, and Dr. Jennifer Hesterman, a professor and retired Air Force colonel.[1][3] As a child in a military family, she moved frequently as a child, living in places such as Washington D.C., Qatar, and the United Kingdom.[1]
Hesterman is a student at Long Island University Global.[1]
Activism
editHesterman's family moved to Qatar in 2013.[4] She was driven to become an activist while living in the Middle East,[5] and founded the Qatari branch of the United Nations Girl Up program at the American School of Doha[6] in August 2014.[1][3][4]
In 2015, Hesterman was involved in campaigning for the passage of the Girls Count Act, an American bill which aimed to improve registration and documentation of girls' births around the world.[7]
In 2022, Hesterman became a program associate with #ShePersisted, an organization co-founded by gender equality expert Lucina Di Meco and democracy activist and elections specialist Kristina Wilfore.[8][9] Hesterman has also written on how women's rights are threatened online by gendered disinformation in Hungary[10] and Tunisia.[11] These reports are a part of #ShePersisted's Monetizing Misogyny research series which examines the usage of gendered disinformation as a weapon to undermine the involvement of women in politics and to weaken democratic institutions and human rights.[12]
Recognition
editIn 2015, Hesterman received the Air Force Military Child of the Year award from Operation Homefront.[3][4]
In 2016, Hesterman was named one of the United Nations' Empower Women's Champions for Change.[13][14]
References
edit- ^ a b c d e "Sarah Hesterman". Global Thinkers Mentors. Retrieved 2023-09-22.
- ^ "Who are the 100 Women 2014?". BBC News. 2014-10-26. Retrieved 2023-09-22.
- ^ a b c "Military Child Spotlight: Sarah Hesterman". Operation Homefront. 2015-04-10. Retrieved 2023-09-22.
- ^ a b c Montes, Alexandre (2015-05-01). "Air Force Military Child of the Year Sarah Hesterman puts the 'stand' in standard". U.S. Air Forces Central. Retrieved 2023-09-22.
- ^ Gharib, Malaka (July 13, 2016). "Why These Teen Girls Give Helen Clark More Snaps Than Beyoncé". NPR. Retrieved September 22, 2023.
- ^ "ASD students raise money for education of two girls". Gulf Times. 2016-10-30. Retrieved 2023-09-22.
- ^ Hillebrenner, Melissa (2015-06-18). "Proof That When Girls Come Together There's Nothing They Can't Do". HuffPost. Retrieved 2023-09-22.
- ^ "Women's Media Center". womensmediacenter.com. Retrieved 2024-01-02.
- ^ "#ShePersisted - Who We Are". She Persisted. Retrieved 2024-01-02.
- ^ Di Meco, Lucina; Hesterman, Sarah (2021-11-30). "How Digital Media is Threatening Women's Rights and Democracy". Ms. Magazine. Retrieved 2023-09-22.
- ^ "How social media is failing women in Tunisia". NADJA. 2023-08-29. Retrieved 2023-09-22.
- ^ "#ShePersisted - Research and Thought Leadership". She Persisted. Retrieved 2024-01-02.
- ^ "Empower Women Announces the 2016-2017 Champions for Change". EmpowerWomen. 2016-12-10. Retrieved 2023-09-22.
- ^ "College Freshman Joins UN Program To Champion The Economic Empowerment Of Women". GirlTalkHQ. 2017-01-11. Retrieved 2023-09-22.