Today’s Dame of the Day is Loretta Lynch (May 21, 1959-). Lynch earned her law degree from Harvard law and worked her way up through the New York system to become the district’s top prosecutor. In 2015, she was sworn in as U.S. Attorney General, becoming the first black woman to hold the position.
Today’s Dame of the Day is Ana Blandiana (March 25, 1942-). Born in Romania during Soviet rule, Blandiana’s father spent years in Communist prison before his accidental death several weeks after his release. Blandiana wrote poetry and worked as a literary editor and librarian; as the regime grew more restrictive, her work became more protest-oriented. Blandiana eventually entered politics and campaigned for an open society and an end to communist rule.
Today’s Dame of the Day is Ana Pessoa Pinto (1956-). Pinto began her career in exile in Mozambique before returning to East Timor and winning a seat in the nation’s Parliament. Today’s she is the country’s prosecutor general and previously served as Minister for State and Internal Administration.
Today’s Dame of the Day is Margaret Nasha. Nasha began her career as a civil servant before entering Botswana’s cabinet in 1994. She was the first female speaker of the country’s Parliament, representing Botswana’s Democratic Party.
Today’s Dame of the Day is Lúcia Lobato (November 7, 1965-). After earning her law degree, Lobato was elected to East Timor’s Parliament in 2001. During the 2007 election, she ran as the only female candidate. While she did not win the election, Lobato was later appointed Minister of Justice.
Today’s Dame of the Day is Nasta Palazhanka. At age 14, Palazhanka became an active member of Belarus’s youth opposition movement. In spite of imprisonment and threats, she advocates for human rights and freedom in the face of injustice. Palazhanka was a 2011 of the International Women of Courage award.
Today’s Dame of the Day is Elena Korosteleva (January 24, 1972-). As one of the leading academics studying democratization of Europe, Korosteleva conducts research on public perception of the European Union. Her research centers around Eastern European countries who are not currently EU members and the ties they form with member countries. Korosteleva argues that, following the collapse of the Soviet Union, different states achieved democracy to a different degree, making it impossible to lump them all together as one unit.
Today’s Dame of the Day is Fiame Naomi Mata’afa. As a Samoan high chiefess, Mata’afa is currently the country’s Minister of Women, Community & Social Development. She is the first woman to hold a position in Samoa’s Cabinet and is one of the longest serving members of Parliament.
Today’s Dame of the Day is Pelonomi Venson-Moitoi. She began her career in politics in 1999 with an appointment to Botswana’s National Assembly. Over the course of her tenure, she held positions in the Ministries of Communications, Trade and Tourism, and Science and Technology. Today, she serves as the Minister of Education. In addition to her political service, Venson-Moitoi is also a trained journalist.
Today’s Dame of the Day is Anália de Victória Pereira (October 3, 1941-January 7, 2009). In 1983, Pereira and her colleagues formed Angola’s Liberal Democratic Party. Over the course of her political career, Pereira became the president of the party and led it until her death. To date, she was the most visible woman politician in the country’s history.