Doctor Martin Luther King was born in the segregated south of Atlanta, Georgia. Doctor Martin Luther King helped bring about the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Each of these bills helped African Americans access civil rights across the country. King's speeches and writings allow us to continue learning from his beliefs and practices today.

Christopher and his Mom

Coretta Scott King was born on April 27, 1927 in Alabama in the United States of America. She is also known as Dr. Martin Luther King's wife. For 15 years, Coretta Scott King worked alongside her husband on civil rights. After Dr. King's assassination in 1968, she kept fighting for justice for black people.

For over forty years, Coretta Scott King traveled throughout the world speaking out for black people's rights/abilities, women's and children's rights, the needs of the poor and homeless, and full employment.

Her most important advocacy was on ensuring that people of all colors could go to the same schools, use the same libraries, use the same public transportation and even more importantly, that black people were given the right to vote.

The Civil Rights Movement was also known for its non-violence approach to seeking justice. This approach and principle aligns with Gandhi's theory to non-violence used in India during the period of decolonization.

The Civil Rights Movement impacted the laws in the USA to give equal rights to everyone, including black people. Children could then and now study together regardless of their race. People can now sit together in a public transportation without asking black people to sit on the back of the bus and give their seat up for a white person. Anyone cant eat in any restaurants and water fountains can be used by anyone.

The Civil Rights Movement made it illegal to treat black people inhumanly.

Malala Yousafzai is from Pakistan. Born in 1997, she is 26 years old. Malala is an advocate for education for women and girls. She believes that ALL girls have a right to go to school and learn. She was physically attacked for her beliefs. Malala survived and continues to fight for her cause. She is the youngest person to receive the Nobel Peace Prize!

One of her quotes is: "One child, one teacher, one book, one pen can change the world."

Ruth Bader Ginsburg was born in Brooklyn N.Y.C. Her father Nathan was a Russian immigrant and her mother Celia was from N.Y.C.Anyway Ruth's family and herself were Jewish. So growing up she went through a lot of prejudice. Like signs in places saying no Jews allowed.She couldn't forget the pain of signs saying she didn't belong somewhere .Well she wasn't going to stand for this anymore. As a child Ruth stood up for herself for example......when she was in handwriting class at school.They told her to write with her right hand even though she was left-handed. Her handwriting with her right hand wasn't good at all.And so she refused to write with her right hand from that day forward.Anyway later in life she went to college even though it wasn't a popular choice for women.After that she applied to Law School and got accepted in she was one of 9 women and over 500 men.Once she graduated no one hired her because she was a Women,Mom and Jewish.Finally someone hired her and she worked really hard for them and a few years later she ended being one of the few female law professors in America. But that wasn't the end of her story .She went to the supreme court and brought up an important case.She won her case and years later she actually ended being on the supreme court! She was the second woman ever on it! She was an amazing judge on it and always was truthful with her opinion.

-Mathilda

Jackie Robinson

Jackie Robinson was born in Cairo, Georgia in 1919. He was born in a family of Sharecroppers with 4 other siblings. Since his dad, Jerry Robinson, had left the family in 1920, when Jackie was only 1 year old, his mother had to raise the 5 children by herself. His family was the only colored family on the block, so they faced a lot of discrimination, but the discrimination had only grew their family bond stronger. At a pretty young age (he was in college), Jackie had enjoyed sports a lot, and was very skilled at them. He was so skilled, he was the first ever athlete to win varsity letters in 4 different sports. But on the 3rd of April, 1942, he had to join the U.S Army to fight in WW2. Luckily, he left the army on the 4th of November, 1944, because he was honorably discharged from the U.S Army. His first professional baseball game took place on the 15th of April, 1947, when he played for the Brooklyn Dodgers against the Boston Braves. After his season, he was the National League Rookie of the Year. This was only one of the many great accomplishments Jackie Robinson has achieved in his career. Because he played for a professional team, he was one of the first colored people to play professional baseball. The last time someone who was colored played baseball was back in 1889, which was the year baseball became segregated. Sadly, Jackie died of a heart attack on the 24th of October, 1972. His story proves that if you put in work, you can accomplish many things. He completely broke the segregation barrier and proved that colored people can accomplish great things too.

Susan B Anthony

Susan B Anthony was an activist that wished for all women to get the right to vote. Her wish came true, but only after her death. Susan B Anthony was born on February 15, 1820. She was born in Adam, Massachusetts. During the time she was born women could not have the right to vote. All they could do was get married to a man. After they got married, the women would take care of the children, clean the house, and prepare meals. The husbands also had complete control over their own wife. After she got older, she kept fighting for women's rights with her great friend Elizabeth Candy Stanton. Sometimes Susan would have to deal with death threats, hostile mobs, armed threats, and things being thrown at her. After all of that she still kept fighting for women's rights. A few years after her death women got the right to vote. One famous quote from her is "Women must not depend upon the protection of man, but must be taught to protect herself."

Keith Haring was an activist who stood up for LGBTQ and aids. Keith Allen Haring (May 4, 1958 – February 16, 1990) was an American artist whose pop art emerged from the New York City graffiti subculture of the 1980s. He was also gay so he knew it was wrong for people to not be able to be who they want in the world.

Tuskegee, Alabama, America

Civil rights equal rights for African Americans

Rosa Parks was an activist for people of color so that they would not have to sit at the back of the bus. She had to go to prison because she did not want to sit at the back of the bus just because she was a person of color. She refused and she started a boycott and a lot of people of color did not use the bus for a long time until they had the right to sit wherever they wanted and even Martin Luther King jr. even did it as well and in the end they got what they wanted because once a lot of people start doing it the Government can lose a lot of money so they made that no matter what color skin you are have the right to sit where you want.

Greta Thunberg is from Stockholm, Sweden. Born on January 3 2003 and is now 20 years old. Greta Tintin Eleonora Ernman Thungburg is a Swedish environmental activist known for challenging world leaders to take action for climate change. Parents are Svante Thungburg and Malena Ernman and her sibling is Beata Thunburg. She is 4'11. Her movement is School strike for climate. Many people have written books about Greta and her amazing protests and speeches. She believes that we can save the world from climate change before it gets too bad if we all try a little. One of her quotes is "We can't just continue living there is no tomorrow because there is a tomorrow ."

John Lennon

In the late 1960s and early ’70s, John Lennon began to actively endorse a wide variety of progressive and radical political causes. He championed the anti-war movement as well as Native and African-American rights while demonstrating a deepening interest in feminism. Lennon began to forge potent links between his music and the politics of his time. His craft became a weapon of social and political change. The Englishman demonstrated against US involvement in Vietnam and provided the American anti-war movement with one of its most consequential anthems, “Give Peace a Chance” (1969). In 1971, he also released what is widely recognized as one of the greatest and most important pop songs ever written, a humanist plea and Socialist anthem called "Imagine".

Nelson Mandela Mvezo, South Africa

Nelson Mandela was a former president of South Africa he was an anti-apartheid activist who spent 27 years in prison for his efforts to get equal rights regardless of race.

He joined the South African National Congress and actively worked to end apartheid.

He was even doing his work while still in prison and he died at the age of 95 in December 5 2013.

Helen Keller West Tuscumbia, Alabama

Helen Keller was an author and a disability rights activist.

She became blind and deaf when she was 19 months old after an unknown illness.

When she was 7 years old she met a teacher named Anne Sullivan who taught her sign language so she could communicate. She also taught her to read and write.

She continued her education and attended Radcliffe College Of Harvard University and became the first deaf blind person in America to earn a Bachelor of arts degree.

Over her lifetime she wrote many books and worked as an advocate for people with disabilities, women's suffrage ( The right to vote). Labor rights ( fare working conditions) and world peace. She died June 1 1968.

Barrak Obama was an activists for human rights. Obama signed many landmark bills into law during his first two years in office. The main reforms include: the Affordable Care Act, sometimes referred to as "the ACA" or "Obamacare", the Dodd–Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, and the Don't Ask, Don't Tell Repeal Act of 2010.

Eddie Koiki Mabo

Eddie Koiki Mabo was born June 29 1936 in the village of Las on the island Mer in the Torres Strait in Australia. In 1959, Eddie Koiki Mabo moved to Townsville in Queensland and had a variety of jobs which included working on pearling boats and cutting sugar cane. While he spent his life as an adult on the mainland identity remained deeply rooted in Malo law and Merian custom. Soon Koiki quickly involved himself in politics and community organisations becoming a big leader and activist for Aboriginal and Torres Strait people. He also opened The Black Community School in 1973. He opened this school because he was unhappy with the way schools taught about Indigenous culture to his people. On May 9 1982, Koiki and fellow Mer Islanders began their legal claim in the high court of Australia for ownership for their lands. This case was known as the Mabo Case. Before this, the British Colonists said Australia was Terra-Nullius, which meant it belonged to no one. In 1992, six months after he died, they won in the High Court of Australia who recognized the Traditional Owners of Australia for the first time in history. Soon after the Government of Australia passed the Native Title Act to create a way for the Indigenous people of Australia to make a Native Title Claim on their Ancestors land.

Nelly Bly

She was born in 1864 in Cochrans Mills in Pennsylvania. Growing up Women didn't have many rights and weren't seen suitable for many jobs at all.But Nelly didn't let this get in her way she persisted becoming one of the first female journalists in the U.S.She had gone undercover many times to expose the real truth.Once she went undercover in a Mental Hospital.She went their and found out how badly they were being treated. Nelly described it as cold baths,filthy living conditions,spoiled food and physical abuse from they're care takers.One of Nelly's amazing achievements was solo circumnavigating the world (travelling round the world) in 72 days! One of Nelly Bly's famous quotes:" I have never not written a word from my heart and never shall".

My grandmother (Maivan Lam)

My grandmother was an activist born in Vietnam and came to the U.S to go to college. She protested Against the Vietnam War and organized a campaign to divest from South Africa at The University Of Hawaii. She also coordinated a Campaign to stop the development of a Hawaiian coastline. She believed in peace, equal rights, and protecting the environment.

Michelle Obama

Michelle was born and raised in Chicago and

Served as a role model for African American

Woman and worked as an advocate for poverty awareness,

Education, physical activity and more. She also supported African American designers.

Haunani kay trask

Was a native hawaiian activist, (My grandmother and my father knew her very well)

represented Native Hawaiians at the United Nations Working 

Group on Indigenous Peoples in Geneva, and in 2001 she participated In the United Nations World Conference against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia, and Related Intolerance.

Wangari Maathai was from Kenya. Born in 1940, Wangari was an advocate for the environment. She thought that people would support the environment more if they got paid for it, so she set up an organization where if you planted trees you were paid a bit. Because of that, 51 million trees were planted in Kenya! Wangari was invited to be a United Nations Messenger of Peace, she addressed the United Nations many times and worked on several international environment projects.

One of her quotes is: "Trees are a symbol of peace and hope."

Maya Angeloou was from Missouri, U.S. Born in 1928, she was a civil rights activist working for equal treatment for African-Americans as well as trying to stop violence against women. She wrote a book "I know why the cage bird sings" it became the first best selling non-fiction book ever written by a female African-American writer. Through her writing and her work she fought for fair treatment for everyone, exploring African-American history and celebrating women.

One of her quotes is: "If you don't like something, change it. If you can't change it, change your attitude."

by Mathilda Stephens

She is born and from from Dublin,Ireland . She was born with Achondroplasia ( which is a type of dwarfism.) At the age of 16 she felt very excluded from conversations about fashion and clothes. So she decided to do something about it.She started collaborating with the fashion industry.Making clothes for everyone so no one would have to go through what she did.She has caused so much change and inspired so many.One of her other major acomplishments was being the first person with dwarfism to attend the met gala in 2019.She has also written many books and appeared in many different shows.Showing that nothing can define you and what you can do!

She was born in Co.Cork,Ireland in the 1880's. Her father died when she was a child of appendicitis (something you would not expect to die of today). So she and her Mother moved to Dublin. As a young Lady she was an activist working with the Clean milk society.The Clean milk society was a group of people who were working to stop T.B( it's an infectious disease caught in this case from cow's milk because it wasn't pasteurized).You see, people in the early 1900's in Dublin kept cows in their back gardens so they could milk them. But the cows caught T.B and it soon started to spread around in cows. So when people milked them, they didn't realize their milk was infected and lots of people drank it. It was killing thousands of people. Eventually people found out and that's when The Clean Milk society was started. Lilo worked with them helping to stop the spread of it by trying to get all milk pasteurized. Also In 1918 she also was involved with the campaign of giving Women the right to vote.They got it but only women over 30 and who owned property could vote. But in 1923 all women over 21 could vote! She also wrote a few books too on J.M Synge an Irish playwright.

John Lewis

John Lewis was born near Troy, Alabama, on February 21, 1940. John Lewis was a Civil Rights activist and a politician. He participated in the Montgomery March, which was on March 7, 1965.

As a young person, he was inspired by Martin Luther King and Rosa Parks's boycott.

John Lewis was also part of the 'Big Six' of the Civil Rights movement and also became one of the original 13 'Freedom Riders'.

He held many spots on Congress, which include:

• 3rd Chairman of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee from June 1963 to May 1966.

• Member of the Atlanta City Council from January 1, 1982 to September 3, 1985.

• House of Representatives from Georgia's 5th District, from January 3, 1987 until his death on July 17, 2020.