Use the following resources to honor those who worked to secure voting rights for all and who uphold the values of democracy, including those outlined in the US Constitution.
It is important to honor those who promote democratic values and learn to tell the difference between credible information and misinformation.
John Lewis was the son of Alabama sharecroppers. He became a civil rights activist who played a key role in the March on Washington and the Selma to Montgomery March for voting rights. John Lewis went on to become a leader in Congress, representing Georgia's 5th district in the US House of Representatives for 33 years.
Ruth Bader Ginsburg was the second woman appointed to the U.S. Supreme Court. Throughout her term she was a leading voice for gender equality, women's interests, and civil rights and liberties.
Martin Luther King Jr. a social rights activist, was a leader of the civil rights movement in the United States. His organizing of peaceful protests, including the March on Washington, led him to win the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964.
Before it became a sovereign nation in 1961, South Africa was held under British rule. In 1948, the policy of apartheid, segregation based on race with the white minority ruling, became official and did not end until 1991. Nelson Mandela was one of South Africa's great leaders in the fight against apartheid.
Stories About Heroes Who Uphold the Values of Democracy
Daniel Ellsberg is a whistleblower and truth teller responsible for publishing the Pentagon Papers.
Mary Ellen "Meg" Greenfield was an influential figure in journalism for two decades as the editorial editor of the Washington Post (1979-1999) and a columnist for Newsweek (1974-1999).
Sonia Sotomayor is the first Hispanic US Supreme Court Justice and currently serves as Associate Justice of the Supreme Court. [This story is also available in Spanish.]
Films Honoring Whistleblowers and Social Justice Activists
A tribute to young heroes who fight for social justice.
Art
Audio
External Links
The News Literacy Project works with educators and journalists to give students the skills they need to discern fact from fiction and to know what to trust.
Classroom Resource: Three ways to teach the insurection at the U.S. Capital
Classroom Resource: How to engage students in civil discourse following events at the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021
Collection of searchable, vetted civic education, law-related education, and government lesson plans to help teachers build informed and engaged citizens.
For Educators: Responding to the insurrection at the U.S. Capital on January 6, 2021
Organizer created on 1/7/2021 1:07:50 PM by Laura Nietzer
Last edited 9/14/2021 4:40:05 PM by Laura Nietzer
