Motivational Civil Rights Leaders

Hello everyone! I hope you are all doing well. Last week, on January 18th, there was Martin Luther King Jr. Day, in honor of the African American leader who played a significant role in advancing civil rights. In honor of this day, our Young People of Color sub-community wanted to highlight some wonderful Civil Rights leaders who we find inspiring and motivating.

Harriet Tubman

Harriet Tubman was an American abolitionist and activist. She was born into slavery but managed to escape. After making it out alive, she acted as a “conductor” for the Underground Railroad, a network of trails and safe houses run by antislavery activists in order to help escaped slaves make it to freedom in the north. Referred to as “Moses”, Tubman made over 13 missions, single-handedly guiding over 70 escaped slaves through the Underground Railroad without losing a single one. Tubman’s incredible intelligence and courage allowed her to go undetected, and she is known as one of the best conductors of the Underground Railroad in American history.

Cesar Chavez

Cesar Chavez was a Mexican-American civil rights and farm labor rights leader. When his family moved to California, Chavez and his family worked in horrifying conditions for 10 years: racism, corrupt labor contractors, low wages, backbreaking work, etc. This inspired Chavez to grow from a farm laborer to being the cofounder of the National Farm Workers Association while implementing nonviolent methods such as his years-long national boycott of California table grape growers, resulting in more humane working conditions. He went beyond civil rights as he truly cared about each farmer, even bringing national awareness to the dangers of pesticides to workers’ health. Chavez’s dedication to improving labor conditions extended to his death, possibly caused by his hunger strikes. But ultimately, his efforts as a prominent union leader and labor organizer have been recognized as President Barack Obama announced that Chavez’s birthday, March 31 would be recognized as a federal commemorative holiday. His nonviolent activism and support of working people also awarded him the Presidential Medal of Freedom, securing his place as one of the most inspirational labor leaders of the 20th century.

Sylvia Rivera

Sylvia Rivera was an American feminist and LGBTQ+ rights activist. She was orphaned at a young age and lived with her grandmother, who disapproved of her feminine behavior. Rivera was kicked out at a young age and was forced to live on the streets, working as a child prostitute before being taken in by a community of drag queens who gave her the name Sylvia. Rivera grew up to become a fierce activist for the LGBT+ community, advocating for gay liberation and the inclusion of trans people as well as advocating against homelessness, which disproportionately affects LGBT+ people. Rivera is well-known as an outspoken trans activist, and her work has helped support LGBT+ rights around the world.

Mahatma Gandhi

Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, also known as Mahatma Gandhi was not only a lawyer, writer, and social activist, but a civil rights leader of the nationalist movement against British rule of India. When doing his job as a lawyer in South Africa, he was shocked at the mass racism and racial segregation towards Indians from the white British and Boer officials which led him to form the Natal Indian Congress. His beliefs of non-violence advanced towards "Satyagraha" or truth and firmness campaigns, his most notable being his 240 mile Salt March which arrested 60,000 people including himself. Yet, his perseverance and continuous nonviolent actions promoted political and social progress to ultimately gain independence for India. This rightfully earned him the title, "Mahatma" or great soul.

Nelson Mandela

Nelson Mandela was a South African anti-apartheid revolutionary. When the South African government introduced a new system called “apartheid” that furthered the racial divide in the country, Mandela (who was also a lawyer) became an important figure in the African National Congress (ANC). Mandela organized nonviolent protests and pushed for Congress and protestors to follow Gandhi’s peaceful ways of bringing change. However, at one point he began to doubt that these non-violent methods would work and set up an armed branch of the ANC. He was later classified as a terrorist by the South African government and spent 27 years in prison. His story brought international visibility to the anti-apartheid movement, and he was released from prison in 1990. Three years after his release from prison, he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. Then in 1994, Nelson Mandela was inaugurated as South Africa’s first Black President. He is considered “the father of the nation,” "the founding father of democracy,” and "the national liberator, the savior, it's Washington and Lincoln rolled into one.”

~Now that we have shared about some Civil Rights leaders around the world, here are some questions to answer~

Out of all the leaders mentioned, is there one you found the most inspiring? Who?

Are there any Civil Rights leaders not mentioned you would like to tell us about? (Please keep all responses respectful, and appropriate please)

How do the actions of these leaders motivate you? Are there any methods these leaders used that you would like to integrate into your activities to be a leader/ally?

Thank you so much for participating in our January 2021 event in accordance with the 7 cups site-wide theme of this month. “Motivation!” Feel free to check out other 7 cups January events HERE! We hope this event could leave you feeling inspired, more knowledgeable, and motivated. Have a lovely day!

Sources: https://www.treehugger.com/great-heroes-of-human-rights-4864309

https://www.ducksters.com/biography/nelson_mandela.php

*Content written by @aeris156, @HannahChu777 and @hopedreamlove