A biography for Meena Harrishasn’t been written yet.
“My work is myself. That's what makes me feel like I have purpose. It makes me happy and inspired and hopeful - as hard as it may be sometimes.”
“I think about the notion of progress; sometimes it does feel like two steps forward, one step back. And that just means you can't get complacent.”
“From the beginning, I conceptualised Phenomenal Woman as a social-impact initiative. I knew that the campaign wasn't really about a cool T-shirt, but rather using the T-shirt to benefit and amplify a cause.”
“Kids deserve to be taken seriously. It's just as important to talk to them about women's equality, about fairness. We really have to focus on children early.”
“I early on showed interest in the arts and I used to say, 'I'm an artist, I'm an artist.'”
“As a community, Silicon Valley must adopt principles that reflect our abhorrence toward sexual harassment - and it is these principles that must guide our collective behavior.”
“As a consumer, I love nothing more than to find and support women-owned brands - and especially women of color-owned brands.”
“It's a privilege to be able to take care of yourself and not have to be constantly on the treadmill.”
“I've always been a creative, entrepreneurial minded person, and I've always been inspired by other creatives, including fashion designers.”
“Supporting the people in our businesses is what we need to be thinking about. It's a no-brainer. It improves leadership. It improves productivity. It cultivates this entrepreneurship concept and improves retention.”
“I always felt like I could participate at the adult table, but I also knew that if you're going to make an argument about something, you better have something good to say.”
“Encouraging individual firms to develop forward-leaning policies that address sexual harassment is necessary, but alone such prescriptions are insufficient.”
“At the most basic level, if men have institutional power, they have tremendous influence to change those institutions.”
“We should want children to value difference. Preparing them for a more just world doesn't mean teaching them to aspire to purple. It means helping them learn to celebrate black.”
“I never thought Phenomenal Woman would turn into something big, you know?”
“I think the point is that each of us, in our own unique ways, can make a contribution. You don't have to be a full time activist or even run for office. Start small, commit to it, and build on it.”
“My most casual day at work is a Phenomenal shirt. It's so comfortable and cozy, I have about 20 of them that I can reach for every day.”
“I was taught the value of everyday activism and showing up by my grandma, who wasn't a public official, but was a breast cancer researcher and would mentor students of color in her lab at UC Berkley. She taught me when I was 4 years old what the word boycott meant.”
“Something I've definitely learned from my aunt and my mom is that you've got to keep your eye on the ball. You have to realize that, in some instances, you may need to work twice as hard to get half as much, but you don't stop. You don't stop fighting.”
“The idea is, we use our platform, community, brand recognition, and other methods to really raise awareness and inspire ordinary people to own bold, important social messages.”