Eleanor Roosevelt

When the term hero comes to mind, I, like everyone else does, think of the stereotypical strong man with a serious face and a damsel in distress thrown over his shoulder. Only because the media and superhero comics made us all think that to be a hero you have to possess into certain physical qualities to be even thought of as hero-worthy. These traits include, by are not limited to, being male, having bulging muscles, and being conventionally very handsome. Even though these ideas of a hero have manifested in my head through classical conditioning of movies, I still think there is no greater hero than someone who simply fights for the good of others, regardless of gender and appearance. Since I am a very strong feminist and humanitarian activist, usually my heroes are not the ones who save obviously weak and incapable women from a twenty story building from falling on them, but someone who empowers people to realize that they themselves are able to run out from under the house and save themselves. Though there are many such heroes, Eleanor Roosevelt gave many people hope in a time where there was very little recognition to the diverse people in the United States. Eleanor Roosevelt devoted her time to advocating for the people of America who were not as exclusively protected, flexing her views as a political activist, and understanding the true meaning to freedom so she could continue to do what's better for the people of the United States.

(nascc.org (Marian Tinker, Camp TERA director))

One aspect of a hero that I personally deem as important is someone who fights for the people who don't have as much power or respect in the world; like women and all people of color. Eleanor Roosevelt embodies a feminist icon who continually fought and put out opportunities for those who got the shorter end of the stick. An example of this is the She-She-She Camps that Roosevelt set up to give female youth employment possibilities where they could work outside. She-She-She Camps was a play off the name CCC (Civilian Conservation Corps), brought up to cause an unemployment relief, which strictly was for males. Another way that portrayed Roosevelt's devotion to being a humanitarian activist, was she helped to write the Universal Declaration of Human Rights; a written doctrine which declared that people everywhere needed and should be treated fairly and had certain human rights the government should not be able to take away from them. Also, once Roosevelt got to the White House, she began to really see the racism that still played out through America. So, she pressured Donald Richberg, National Recovery administrator, to set up an investigation about the racial difference in wages set up by southern factories and questioned why African Americans were subjected to mess hall assignments over whites.

( (Richard Shotwell))

A hero is also someone who gives to others when they are in desperate need of help. Roosevelt, during World War II, volunteered in the Red Cross to be a nurse and aid all around the world, from Japan to America, helping the sick and injured. She didn't just sit around in her White House and wait for the problems to blow over in the world; instead she helped those in need, selflessly. She also used her power in the government to inject her humanitarian opinions into the world to give more help to the ones in America who needed it. Since Roosevelt had high authority in the government and was highly respected; she served as chair for the Commission on the Status of Women for President Kennedy, was nominated three times for the Nobel Peace Prize, and was called "First Lady of the World" by Harry Truman. That is also a reason Roosevelt is such a hero to me; she gives me inspiration, because she was a woman who did so many amazing things and had such a high place in government during her time.

Eleanor Roosevelt was a naturally understanding, nurturing, and strong woman who spent her life constantly trying to make life good for all people in the world that she could. She argued unpopular opinions and travelled the world during an unstable time to care for people in need. She was a strong and empowering woman who had enough fight in her to work her way to the top and advocate to those who were still at the bottom.