• I always thought Jane Fonda was a woman of the revolution until I learned that it took her thirty years to get feminism. But I’m glad and grateful that it’s a revolution she eventually embraced. 

• When an Australian left behind a surfboard in the Bangladeshi coastal town of Cox’s Bazar 25 years ago, surfing became a thing. Then in 2013 a young local girl, Shoma Akthar, decided that she wanted to learn to surf. When she won $40 for third place in a local surfing competition, Shoma’s mother realised she could be more valuable independently than if she were sent off to work as a housekeeper, or to get married.

• April marked 108 years since the birth of Bette Davis. This article from Vanity Fair speaks to how Ms Davis became a revolutionary Hollywood icon by refusing to conform at every turn. Which I love. Tweet This

• Sonita Alizadeh is an Afghan rapper and activist who has been vocal against forced marriages. Alizadeh first gained attention when she released “Brides for Sale,” a video in which she raps about daughters being sold into marriage by their families. In April Sonita Alizadeh performed live in New York City at the Women in the World conference.

• Jia Tolentino, deputy editor at Jezebel, penned a powerful essay on empowerment. Four decades ago ’empowerment’ was associated with Latin American liberation theory, then emerging in marginalised American black communities before being commoditised as something for women to buy. Tweet This

• Speaking of empowerment Nilofer Merchant, Onlyness guru, had this to say about the word:

• What will the tampon of the future look like? Ridhi Tariyal has patented a method for capturing menstrual flow and transforming it into medical samples. Women drop off tampons that can be mined for uterine cells; the cells are then scanned for genomic changes that are associated with disease. Tweet This

• Amanda Foreman is the historian behind the BBC/Netflix’s docuseries ‘The Ascent of Woman’ which places women’s rights in a powerful new context. The series explores what we don’t know, and what we think we know, when it comes to understanding the evolution of women’s liberation. [tweetthis]The Ascent of Woman explores what we think we know, when it comes to understanding the evolution of women’s liberation. [/tweetthis]

Who invented the veil? When did patriarchy come into being? Who produced the first literature? When did the notion of “the second sex’” take hold? The answers are revealed in the show and may surprise you. “If you don’t know it,” says Foreman, “others will make up that history for you.”

• The weekend after Prince’s passing I was listening non-stop to his music. It was all I could do. And then Beyonce released Lemonade. At first I was cranky as I didn’t want to be dealing with Bey at the same time I was processing Prince’s passing until I realised there was a poetic beauty in its timing. Prince valued creativity and Beyonce’s ‘Lemonade’ is a remarkable and creative revolutionary work of black feminism. Tweet This

• On her fifth solo album Beyonce referenced Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s speech, “We Should all be Feminists”.

On ‘Lemonade’ Beyonce explores the poetry of renowned black feminist, Warsan Shire. Click here to listen to Warsan’s 1:34 minutes recitation of ‘The Unbearable Weight of Staying – The End of the Relationship’.

• The Women of the Revolution: From early on in Prince’s career, he championed female musicians and artists including Wendy and Lisa, Sheila E, Susanna Hoffs, Chaka Khan, Stevie Nicks, Toni Braxton, Sheryl Crow and Misty Copeland. Watch this nine and a half minute clip of Prince singing ‘Motherless Child’ and you’ll be in awe, and thankful that you were alive during Prince’s purple reign.