For Women's History Month and International Women's Day, NBC Asian America is taking a look back at a few of the inspirational Asian American and Pacific Islander women we have been honored to feature this past year. From social activist legends to legislating trailblazers, in real life and in comic or character form, here are some of the formidable women you should know.
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The Legends
- Grace Lee Boggs: Activist, Civil Rights Icon Grace Lee Boggs Dies at 100, Asian-American Leaders Remember Grace Lee Boggs
- Mitsuye Endo: Supporters Push for Mitsuye Endo's Presidential Medal of Freedom
The Leaders
- Rinku Sen: Envisioning and Enacting Racial Justice: Rinku Sen the Force behind Race Forward
- Doua Thor: From Laos to DC: Doua Thor Talks Refugee Story, Public Service, Power
- Rep. Tammy Duckworth: Tammy Duckworth Announces 2016 Illinois Senate Bid
- Sen. Pramila Jayapal: Washington State Lawmaker, Community Activist Announces Run for House of Representatives
- Kealoha Pisciotta: Hawaii Supreme Court Voids Telescope Construction Permit
- Helen Gym: Helen Gym, First Asian-American Woman on Philadelphia City Council
- Karen Korematsu: Editorial: Day of Remembrance Is a Reminder to Continue to Fight Injustice
- Lisa Changadveja: Hillary Clinton Goes After Asian-American Vote with New Outreach Director
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The Changemakers
- Mia Yamamoto: Criminal Defense Mia Yamamoto Attorney Talks Race, Identity, Community
- Malala Yousafzai Malala Yousafzai Seeks to Raise $1.4 Billion to Educate Syria
- Kristina Wong: Off Color: Kristina Wong Tackles Money, Power, Identity in New Show
- Terisa Siagatonu, Isabella Avila Borgeson, Eunice Andrada: Pacific Islander Poets Use Art, Stories to Urge Climate Action at UN Conference
- Lara Casalotti: Match Found For 24-Year-Old Who Inspired Global Stem Cell Donor Campaign
- Mai-Lei Pecorari: Taiwanese-American Stylist Aims to Give 'Fast Fashion' an Ethical Makeover
- Dorothy Hernandez: Sarap: A New, Sustainable Take on Filipino Food at Detroit Pop-Up
- Hiromi Asai: Kickstarting a Runway Show: How Hiromi Asai Brought Kimonos to Fashion Week
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The Trailblazers
- Margaret Cho: Margaret Cho Joins 'Fashion Police' in 2016
- Mindy Kaling: Mindy Kaling Explores Life, Love In New Book
- Melissa and Lavanya Jawaharlal: STEM Sisters: Pair Build Pi-Bot to Make Engineering Accessible to All
- Constance Wu 'Fresh Off The Boat' Lead Constance Wu To Star in Indie Drama Film
- Yasmine Al Massri: Yasmine Al Massri on Fighting Arab-American Stereotypes as Twins on Quantico
- Hana Tajima: Uniqlo to Launch Collection of Modest Wear, Hijabs in the US
- Alice Cherng How Panda Express Grew From Family Business to Global Empire
- Emily Kuroda: Emily Kuroda Opens Up About Her Career, Comedy, and the ‘Gilmore Girls’ Revival
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Amazing 'Aunties' and Survivors:
- Protesters Gather in New York Outside Japanese Consulate to Denouce ‘Comfort Women’ Deal
- Nail Salon Groups Head to New York Capitol to Push for Transparency in Law
- 'I Have Freedom Now': Service Organizations Unite to Combat ‘Modern Day Slavery'
- 'Plum Blossoms' Aims to Empower Asian-American Women with Breast Cancer
- #DalitWomenFight Brings Fight Against Caste-Based Violence to US
- Eat Offbeat: Changing the Narrative Around Refugees One Home Style Meal at a Time
- Asian Women Giving Circle: Sisterhood, Service, and the Game-Changing 'Geh'
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RELATED: 'Mural Muses' Honors History, Achievements of Female Asian American Artists
The Characters
- Ms. Marvel: Priyanka Chopra Voices Ms. Marvel in New Avengers Game
- Moana: The Next Disney Princess is Native Hawaiian Auli'i Cravalho
- Ayesha Ali Trump: Muslim Actress to Play Trump's 'Illegitimate Muslim Daughter' in Web Series
- Princess Gloria Cheng Epstein Takahara de la Garza Champion: Attention Awesome Kids! This Is the Princess Story for You
- Yuna: Yuna, and Her Friends, Are Bringing Diversity to the Doll Industry
- Isra: Failsafe: A New Kind of Video Game With Adventure and Diversity
- Dumpling Emoji: Introducing the Dumpling Emoji, and a More Open Emoji Nomination Process
- Ada Tseng: 'Haikus With Hotties' Wants to Help You Ring in the New Year