Today (Friday March 8th) marks International Women’s Day and Beyonce’s “Who Run The World? Girls” could not be a more fitting anthem for us ladies. Queen Bey has teamed up with actress Salma Hayak and Frida Giannini, Creative Director of Gucci, to create a brand new female empowerment initiative called “Chime For Change”. What’s the goal of the organization? To provoke, collect and share powerful stories of both women and girls globally – a cause that Giannini calls, “the emergency and opportunity of today.” The fashion designer has said recently in a press release, “I hope that through Chime we can help the voices calling for change to become so loud that they cannot be ignored.”

Frida Giannini, Gucci Creative Director and Designer, wearing the Chime for Change official t-shirt

There are three specific areas the foundation will focus on in helping women: education, justice, and health and will accept donations via their website www.chimeforchange.org. Ten short films, which features new music by Mrs. Knowles-Carter and narrated by Hayak-Pinault, was released last week during the TedxWomen luncheon in California. Beyonce, in my opinion, couldn’t have been a better ambassador for the cause. The beautiful and uber talented singer/songwriter/director/actress has been an inspiration to women everywhere and has proven that with hard work, dedication and determination – anything is possible.

In a recent statement Bey claimed, “Girls have to be taught from early on that they are strong and capable of being anything they want to be. It’s up to us to change the statistics for women around the world. I am honored to be in the company of women who live fearlessly and set an example for the next generation of young ladies.”

Hayak-Pinaut, Knowles-Carter, and Giannini shot for the Chime for Change campaign by Mert & Marcus

Other supporters of the org are John Legend, Julia Roberts, Meryl Streep, Jada Pinkett-Smith and Arianna Huffington. Please take a quick moment to check out the must-see Chime for Change video manifesto…and I’m not going to lie, its a bit of a tear jerker…consider yourself warned!