Edelman founded the Children's Defense Fund in 1973 to help lift children out of poverty, protect them from abuse, and ensure their access to quality education and healthcare.
Initially aspiring to be an anesthesiologist or certified public accountant, her career path shifted toward law after experiencing hate crimes during college.
Known as the “father of the blood bank,” Dr. Charles R. Drew was a scientist who pioneered modern standards for collecting, processing, and storing blood, helping to save millions of lives.
Coretta Scott King, wife of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. became the guardian of his legacy and led efforts to build MLK Center for Nonviolent Social Change in Atlanta, and advocated for the U.S. to create a holiday in honor of her husband.
Nelson Mandela was born Rolihlahla Mandela in 1918 in South Africa’s eastern cape. A prominent civil rights leader an anti-apartheid activist, Mandela’s work focused on moving South Africa toward democracy and beyond its apartheid state.
Marsha P. Johnson was a beloved leader in the gay liberation movement for three decades. She was at the forefront of driving change in an era where violence against the LGBTQIA community was at an all-time high.
Born in 1853, Lucy Parsons grew up in Civil War Era Texas at a time when racist, prohibitive laws prevented the Black community from experiencing true freedom or safety. The details of her early life are largely unknown.
Christian Smalls and Derrick Palmer led a worker revolution at Amazon and ignited a nationwide wave of new organizing despite Amazon’s $4 million investment in union-busting tactics and attempts to stall their progress.
