Writer/Executive Producer Shonda Rhimes, #metoo Founder Tarana Burke, Activist Dolores Huerta to Be Honored for Work on Gender Equality at 3rd Girl Up #GirlHero Awards

WASHINGTON, Oct. 23, 2020 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- In celebration of International Day of the Girl, the third annual Girl Up #GirlHero Awards will honor inspiring figures using their platform to move the needle forward toward equality. This year's honorees include Shonda Rhimes for her work as a storyteller that explores the most relevant topics of our time, reflecting the world as we know it onscreen with dynamic characters; Tarana Burke who founded #metoo, a movement that kicked off a worldwide wave of women taking a stand against violence and discrimination; and lifelong civil rights advocate Dolores Huerta who models how standing for a cause can change the world, in conversation with Girl Up's own girl changemakers Ina Bhoopalam, Alliyah Logan, and Rym Badran sharing their work for gender equality.

Girl Up Champion Nigel Barker is set to co-host the awards – taking place online at 12pm EST on Thursday, October 29 – with Girl Up Executive Director Melissa Kilby to highlight Girl Up's Gen Z leaders fighting for change. Special guests will make appearances on the event's virtual red carpet.

The awards will feature one-on-one conversations between honorees and also aim to highlight advocates, allies, and activists shaking up accepted norms and changing the trajectory of global gender equality over the course of their lifetime. The Girl Up #GirlHero Awards are presented by Always. Honorees of last year's powerful sold-out #GirlHero Awards in Los Angeles were leading ladies Cara Delevingne, Jameela Jamil, and Kate Hudson.

"Today we're celebrating gender equality giants, at a time when there's a lot at stake for girls and women. We're honored to stand with them in building a brighter, more equal movement by relentlessly showing that girls are and have always been leading us toward a better future," Girl Up Executive Director Melissa Kilby said.

Stephanie McMahon, Pamella Roland, LaVerne Council, Amanda Fata, Ellen Goldsmith-Vein, Michelle King, Alexandra Trustman, Shaun Robinson, Tracy Shaffer and Chantelle Siegel will serve as this year's co-chairs of the event.

ABOUT GIRL UP

Girl Up is a global leadership development initiative, positioning girls to be leaders in the movement for gender equality. With resources in six languages and 4,000 Girl Up Clubs in nearly 125 countries, we've trained 75,000 girls of all backgrounds to create tangible change for girls everywhere.

Girl Up provides leadership training and gives girls tools to become gender equality advocates and activists. Through our programs, girls broaden their social impact skill set, benefit from a platform to tell their stories, and apply STEM for social good. Our girl leaders create real policy change at local and national levels, help raise millions of dollars to support United Nations programs that reach tens of thousands of girls around the world and build community-based movements. Girl Up was founded by the United Nations Foundation in 2010 and continues to work across a global community of partners to achieve gender equality worldwide.

ABOUT ALWAYS

Always, the world's leader in menstrual protection, offers a wide range of pads, wipes and liners designed to fit different body types, period flows and preferences. For over 35 years, Always has been empowering millions of girls globally through puberty and confidence education, providing products to girls in need and tackling societal barriers to their confidence through the Always #LikeAGirl movement. Together, Always believes we can create a world where puberty is a moment that propels girls forward into confident womanhood. Please visit http://www.always.com for more information. In 2016, Always was proud to announce that all their owned production sites are zero manufacturing waste to landfill. Please visit https://us.pg.com/environmental-sustainability/ for more information.

SOURCE Girl Up, United Nations Foundation