6 Activists Who Radically Changed America l Leader in America l Civil Rights l Social Advocates l Discrimination in America

American history is not without its blemishes. As great as the nation is and will be, discrimination against minorities is part of its past. In the midst of years of oppression, people rose and stood up against a machine that was bigger than them. Racial inequality and gender discrimination were and are issues that need to be put the rest in the in 21st Century. We will look at civil rights and social activists that really sounded the alarm in America. They woke us up from our intoxicated slumber and arrogance. They showed us a not so pretty reality of violence and abuse inflicted upon the innocent. If our country was going to stand for liberty, it must belong to all those who inhabit the land. All citizens have the right to vote, speak, and follow their own god without discrimination. Here are 6 people who radically influenced America, many still impact us today. May we never forget the past, and continue to work on building a better future.

Ayaan Hirsi Ali

Public Domain/Wikicommons

Ayaan Hirsi Ali is a Dutch-American activist and a former Muslim who speaks out against radical Islam. She suffered genital mutilation and moved to Holland and then to the U.S. after her father tried to force her to marry a cousin. Ali's influence is important in the West as she believes that not associating Islamic terror groups with religion is a mistake. Her life has been threatened since she left the Muslim religion, being called an “apostate” as she continues to educates people on Islam. However, being in America made her feel safe, and now she is working to free others by schooling people on the foundations of radical Islam, and its violence on the innocent. Ali founded the nonprofit AHA Foundation in 2007, which works for the defense of the rights of women, girls forced into marriage, honor killings, and genital mutilation.

Frederick Douglas Reese

The Grio/YouTube

Frederick Douglas Reese was a minister from Selma, Alabama. Even after the Jim Crow laws and the Civil Rights Act were already signed, blacks were still discriminated against. They were still not allowed to vote in 1965 in Selma. Reese was the President of the Selma Teachers Association. He thought it would be easier to harness these connections and encouraged the members to make this their fight as well. Reese would lead a group of teachers to the courthouse and others joined the march to push back officials stopping them to vote. This would lead to a march to the capital, Montgomery for the pursuit of voting rights. Reese started a campaign that would resonate for generations.

Martin Luther King Jr.

Public Domain/Wikicommons

Martin Luther King Jr. credited God for giving him the courage to fight against racism through peace. He paid the ultimate price with his life, but his heroism will ripple moving into the next generation. King’s story never gets old. He was an activist (1950s and 1960s) and leader in the African-American Civil Rights and a Baptist minister. King used the power of his words to stop violence, advocating equality for African Americans. His non-violent stance included the fight against poverty, and that all men and women were created equal no matter what color they were. He fought for African Americans to be able to ride the buses, and the U.S. Court ruled it was unconstitutional. His legacy will continue and along with his passion to use non-violence to create change.