Every year, Jezebel compiles a list of the most inspiring women, femmes, and nonbinary people who have shifted our perspectives over the last 12 months, motivating us to joy and mirth and in some cases activism and cooking.
But 2020, perhaps you’ve heard, was a bit different than other years, as we sought solace and connection wherever we could find it; rather than a single list of heroines we looked up to, these people deserve special recognition, and after years of unofficially, cheekily calling this list our “Sheroes”—which started as a joke in a time when everyday words were being genderized in the name of girlbossing, such as “She-E-O”—we finally decided to go with it (first thought best thought). And these people were definitely our heroes: they saved lives (nurses) and helped preserve representative democracy (Stacey Abrams); they reminded us that hope is still worth acting on (the preschool activists of Multnomah County) and reclaiming our narrative is a vital act of self-preservation (Jessica Simpson). And so this week, we roll out a series of profiles of the most inspiring people of 2020 (according to us), an homage to those who got us through.
Sara Nelson, the Labor Leader We Needed Most
by Esther Wang
The Women Who Won Universal Preschool in Multnomah County
by Marie Solis
Jessica Simpson, Whose Life Is Now an Open Book
by Rich Juzwiak
Nurses, Who Tried to Keep the Earth On Its Axis
by Maria Sherman
KJ Brooks, the Activist Who Said What Needed to Be Said
by Justice Namaste
Lynsey Addario, the Photojournalist Bearing Witness
by Stassa Edwards
Stacey Abrams, Who Delivered a Perfect Ending
by Kelly Faircloth
Isra Hirsi, the Teen Activist Whose Social Media Was a Light in the Darkness
by Ashley Reese
Lina Hidalgo, Who Expanded Voting Rights in Texas
by Esther Wang