W.E.B. DU BOIS
1868-1963
"The cost of liberty is less than the price of repression."
Sociologist, historian, author, civil rights activist and co-founder of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP).
RACHEL CARSON
1907-1964
“But man is a part of nature, and his war against nature is inevitably a war against himself.”
Considered godmother of the environmental movement and best known
for Silent Spring (1962) which focused on the dangers of pesticides
and the disinformation from the chemical industries.
NOAM CHOMSKY
b. 1928
“Our only real hope for democracy is that we get the money out of politics entirely and establish a system of publicly funded elections.”
Activist, dissident, “father of modern linguistics”, one of the most critically engaged public intellectuals and cited scholars in modern history.
JERRIE COBB
b. 1931
“I would give my life to fly in space.”
Pilot and first woman to pass qualifying exams for astronaut training in 1960 though Congress
denied her a position at NASA because of her gender.
EDWARD W. BROOKE III
1919-2015
“The polarization of Congress; the decline of civility; and the rise of attack politics in the 1980s, the 1990s, and the early years of the new century
are a blot on our political system and a disservice to the
American people.”
The first African American elected to the United States Senate by popular vote and one of the first Republicans to call on Nixon to resign in light
of the Watergate Scandal.
AMY GOODMAN
b. 1957
“I've learned in my years as a journalist that when a politician says 'That's ridiculous' you're probably on the right track.”
American journalist, author, and independent news broadcaster on Democracy Now!, named "guardian of truth" by Rolling Stone magazine.
GLENN GREENWALD
b. 1967
“Transparency is for those who carry out public duties and exercise public power.
Privacy is for everyone else.”
Investigative journalist, co-founder of The Intercept, best known for his contact with Edward Snowden and his reporting on global surveillance.
MOHAMMAD SALMAN HAMDANI
1977-2001
“He gave his life. They tried to take away his dignity in death and they
cannot do it.”
Talat Hamdani, Mohammad’s Mother
Pakistani American, New York City Police Cadet and Emergency Medical Technician who, during 9/11 rushed towards the smoke to save others,
yet, because of his Muslim background was investigated for terrorism
before his body was found under the rubble of the World Trade Center.
JANE JACOBS
1916-2006
“Cities have the capability of providing something for everybody, only
because, and only when, they are created by everybody.”
Urban writer and activist who stopped the Robert Moses Lower Manhattan Expressway, wrote The Death and Life of Great American Cities.
CANDY LIGHTNER
b. 1946
"The road through grief is a rocky one. Traveling along it requires courage, patience, wisdom, and hope."
Founded Mothers Against Drunk Driving, one of the most influential non-profit organizations in the United States, after a drunk driver killed her 13-year-old daughter.
WILLIAM MOORE MCCULLOCH
1901-1980
“I know that you, more than anyone, were responsible for the civil rights legislation of the 1960s. You made a personal commitment to President Kennedy in October 1963, against all the interests of your district. When
he was gone, your personal integrity and character were such that you
held to that commitment despite enormous pressure and p
olitical temptations not to do so.”
Jacqueline Kennedy
Republican member of the House of Representatives instrumental in passing the 1964 Civil Rights Act, the most important law of the 20th century, though considered political suicide.
RICHARD OAKES
1942–1972
“This is the beginning of our fight for justice and self-determination.”
Mohawk Native American activist who introduced Native American studies
in university curricula, spurred changes in US federal government policy toward Native Americans, led the occupation of Alcatraz Island, died
of a gunshot wound at the age of 30.
SYLVIA RAE RIVERA
1951-2002
“Hell hath no fury like a drag queen scorned.”
One of the country’s first transgender activists who, at the age of 11 was kicked out of her home because of her effeminate behavior, began
working as a prostitute but rose to become a seminal leader of the
LGBT Rights movement.
MARVIN J. SONOSKY
1909-1997
"We used to joke about how long it took. But now a lot of people don't want the money. They want the land."
Frank Lawrence, Standing Rock Tribal Chairman
Washington, D.C. lawyer, and the artist’s great uncle, who championed the cause of Native Americans litigating for 24 years the first land claim for the sacred North and South Dakota lands where the Dakota Access
pipeline now runs.
HUGH THOMPSON JR.
1943-2006
“I'm going to go over and get them out of the bunker myself. If the squad opens up on them, shoot 'em.”
Vietnam War hero who landed his helicopter in the line of fire between American troops and Vietnamese civilians to stop the 1968 My Lai
Massacre, pointing his own guns at the U.S. soldiers to prevent more
killings, then evacuating civilians against the orders of his superiors.
WILLIAM GRIFFITH WILSON
1895-1971
“We are not cured of alcoholism. What we have is a daily reprieve contingent on the maintenance of our spiritual condition.”
Known as Bill W., wrote Alcoholics Anonymous: Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions,co-founded Alcoholics Anonymous after being admitted to hospitals over four times for his growing alcoholism which, he was
told, would lead to his death.
MOSE WRIGHT
1890-1973
“There he is….and there’s Mr. Bryant.”
Preacher who faced threats against his life when he testified against
the men who murdered his nephew Emmett Till, the fourteen-year old African-American boy brutally abducted, tortured, and murdered for
allegedly whistling at a white woman.
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