On World Day of Social Justice (February 20), we celebrate heroes who worked to remove barriers that people face because of gender, age, race, ethnicity, religion, culture or disability--so all people can live to their full potential with dignity.
Credit: Stephen Melkisethian [CC BY-NC-ND 2.0] via Flickr. February 2014 Moral March On Raleigh.
Congressman John Lewis (1940 - 2020) was an important figure in the civil rights movement and pushed for racial equality throughout his long career. From marching on Washington with Martin Luther King Jr. to serving on the U.S. House of Representatives in Georgia, Lewis was at the forefront of monumental change. He received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2011.
Click on this banner to explore our showcase celebrating John Lewis who dedicated his life to advancing human rights and civil liberties.
John Lewis
Credit: Saint George Thompson
MY HERO Festival Best of Fest Winner
In a city where the median home price is $1.8M and land costs $6M per acre because it is “The Safest City in America,” few know that tucked away in a hillock, a secret “All American Asphalt” plant is quietly belching 221 pounds of benzene and 1,800 pounds of formaldehyde every year. This is the tale of how a humble group of citizens (including normally quiet Asian Americans) found their voices to fight a Goliath corporation and its corrupt pocketed politicians for five years.
When the Devil Smoked in Paradise
By: Katherine Liao
Watch this winning film by Katherine Liao addressing how a humble group of citizens fought a Goliath corporation and its corrupt pocketed politicians for five years.
Katherine Liao: MY HERO BEST of FEST Winner
By: Naomi Gledhill
Read about Katherine Liao, a student filmmaker and activist passionate about fighting injustice.
Films
Citizenship
By: Anson Schloat and John G. Young
A film about John Lewis on citizenship and character: "To be a good citizen is to obey the rules...the laws. Unless those laws conflict with your conscience.
The Space Between Us
Produced by:Phil Collis
A radical somatic dialog about race and gender.
Missing Migrants
Raj Yagnik, Kris Genjin
In the last 6 years more than 40,000 people have disappeared on migration journeys. Most of their families don’t know they're alive or dead.
Illegitimate Voice
Taylor Bazile, Will Casse, Uma Chatterjee,, Ashley Clark, Victoria Cruell, Pedro...
Stefie Gan recounts her experiences with culture shock, racism, and ultimately activism after moving from Malaysia to the United States.
Malala: The Story of a Hero
Produced by:Lora Batchelor Middle School
This is a video about Malala Yousafzai and how she stood up for women's rights.
Words Have Power
Produced by:Lynne Cherry
10-year-old Jaysa rallies the community with her speeches about how the power plant causes asthma and “so much suffering.” When they succeed in shutting down the plant, Jaysa concludes that “words have power."
Water Song
Produced by:Mill Valley Film Group/Will Parrinello
Máxima Acuña, a subsistence farmer in Peru’s northern highlands, stood up to Newmont Mining Corporation!
Mother of All Rivers
Produced by:Will Parrinello
Berta Cáceres rallied her indigenous Lenca people to wage a grassroots protest that successfully pressured the government of Honduras and the world's largest dam builder to withdraw from building the Agua Zarca Dam.
The Mayor of Castro Street: The Triumphs and Tragedies of Harvey Milk
Angela Kim
As a gay rights pioneer, Harvey Milk made history being the first openly gay elected official in California and one of the first in the country.
Training and a Chance: Not Your Typical Culinary Academy
Jim Tutte
More than half of young adults with autism remain unemployed two years after high school, and nearly half of all 25-year-olds on the spectrum have never held a paying job.
Women's Rights - PSA (2:35)
Produced by:Rajat Diwan
By boldly illustrating young women disguising themselves as young men, this PSA calls attention to the grave issue of women's safety and equal opportunity in India.
Additional Content on Social Justice
Curated by My Hero Staff
Stories
Yasmine Sherif: Winner of the 2020 Global Educator Award
By: Shannon Luders-Manuel
Yasmine Sherif leads Education Cannot Wait, a UN-hosted, global fund for education in emergencies.
Bryan Stevenson
By: Arthur (Trey) Carlisle
Bryan Stevenson has been recognized across the globe for the work that he has done to address poverty and racial inequality.
Desmond Tutu
By: Wendy Jewell from The MY HERO Project
Desmond Tutu
worked to end apartheid in South Africa and encourages forgiveness.
Dolores Huerta
By: Rachel Parsons
Huerta began to see the need for agricultural workers to organize for labor rights as a teacher. Many of her students, who were children of migrant workers, told her stories of their parents’ working conditions, such as long days in fields with no toilets or cold drinking water.
Is the Taliban's return the end of music in Afghanistan?
Read about Marsha Gomez, a Native American sculptor, educator, and activist.
Geena Davis: Fighting for Equal Representation
By: Naomi Gledhill
Read about Geena Davis, the Academy Award winning actor and activist fighting for equal representation in media.
She empowers people with disabilities to feel pride in their stories
By: Jodi Hausen
November 20, 2024 - Growing up, Tiffany Yu felt shame about her disability and hid it. Now, the author of “The Anti-Ableist Manifesto” uses her experience to change the narrative. [CSM Story]
Eva Haller - Social Justice Hero
Stories from MY HERO Partner, The Christian Science Monitor
Dalai Lama and Desmond Tutu
Credit: AP/Heiko Junge
Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial
Credit: AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster
Listen & Read Along
Dr. Hawa Abdi
By: Jane Wallace
Dr. Hawa Abdi
is a Somali doctor, human rights activist and nominee for the Nobel Peace Prize.
Iqbal Masih
By: Attie from Anmore, Canada
Iqbal Masih was a Pakistani child laborer who fought against slave labor until his death at age 12.
Art
Robert D. Bullard
By: Joanna Barnum
Widely recognized as "The Father of Environmental Justice," Dr. Robert D. Bullard has been fighting "environmental discrimination" since the 1970s when he identified and decried the systemic practice of locating garbage dumps next to black neighborhoods in Houston.
Desmond Tutu, Global leader in advocating equality, compassion and justice for all
By: Steph Eberlein, Joe Lindley, Jake Fusilier
Pat Humphries Singer Songwriter Dedicated to promoting Social Justice
By: Robert Shetterly
Mother Teresa was canonized as a Saint for her work with the victims of extreme poverty
By: Michaelle from Laguna Beach
Nelson Mandela-Hero for Generations by D Basasira
By: David Basasira
Uncorruptable: In his fight for equality among races in South Africa, Nelson Mandela is a Hero for Generations
Related Pages
PEACE AND SOCIAL JUSTICE FILM SCREENING
By: Wendy Milette
Enjoy these inspiring short films featuring peace and social justice heroes!
Jessica Mayberry | Video Volunteers
Marc Ostrick
Jessica is the founder of Video Volunteers (VV), a human rights media organization's impact on people from India's most marginalized communities.
International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women
To raise public awareness of violence against women
The United Nations is a global organization that brings together its member states to confront common challenges, manage shared responsibilities and exercise collective action in an enduring quest for a peaceful, inclusive and sustainably developing world,
