July: Social Justice Activists Birthdays

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Nelson Mandela
July 18, 1918 - December 5, 2013

Best known for his work to end the apartheid state of affairs of his home country of South Africa, Nelson Mandela is a political icon of the last century that captivated the world. While a strong believer in the practices of Mahatma Gandhi, he shifted to a more direct form of struggle once he found that the pacifistic nature of his political hero did not produce results in a timely manner. For his political resistance and upsets he spent a total of twenty-seven years in prison, with many other minor arrest preceding this lengthy sentence. However his sixty-seven yearlong political career and many brushes with the law proved fruitful for in 1994 the apartheid system of his country was removed and South Africa held the first multiracial elections in the country's history. Due to his hard work and popularity Mandela was also South Africa’s first elected president alongside being the first black president of the country.

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​Malala Yousafzai
July 12, 1997 to Present

The youngest person in history to receive the Nobel Peace Prize, Malala Yousafzai is a woman’s right activist from Pakistan who through an anonymous blog expressed her animosity towards the sexist traditions of organizations that prevented women and girls from receiving an education as men and boys were allowed. She was aware of this issue at the young age of eleven and from there she grew in popularity. For her actions the Taliban (the main focus of her scorn) targeted her in a failed assassination attempt that caused her to redouble her efforts for social change in her home country and for all women who are denied an education. 

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Peace Pilgrim (Mildred Lisette Norman)
July 18, 1908 - July 7, 1981

Peace Pilgrim was an orator for peace and love, and most famous for her six completed cross country journeys across the United States, passing away while on her seventh in 1981. While she had no formal backing she had come of age during the first major conflict of the 20th century and had lived through many more such conflicts and made it her life mission to pilgrimage across the United States until “men knew peace.” Her method of operation was that of the peaceful nomad who would discuss the ideals of peace to whomever she may have come across. She adopted the name Peace Pilgrim in 1953 to aid her in spreading her message of peace. She was a rather popular figure in the United States during her solo campaign and after her death, to this day the organization known as “Friends of Peace Pilgrim” maintain a website answering any question about her extraordinary life.