Exemplary People

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Black and white image of happy African American man waving on a stage with many spectators below and two cameramen filming behind him
Flickr | National Park Service

Martin Luther King Jr.

The January 16 federal holiday marks the birthday of the Afro-American minister and activist who became one of the lead figures in the 1955 Civil Rights Movement to end racial discrimination and segregation. Inspired by his Christian faith and Gandhi's works, he always advocated non-violent activism. For his constant commitment to civil rights, King was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964. Just four years later he was assassinated. His legacy and political ideas are still alive today.

Martin Luther King Jr.
Picture of Ales Bialiarski
Chancellery of the Senate of the Republic of Poland , CC BY-SA 3.0 | Wikimedia Commons

Ales Bialiatski

The human rights activist and Nobel Peace Prize laureate has been sentenced to ten years in prison for his role in the 2020 pro-democracy protests against the Lukashenko regime, in power since 1994. In 2011, Bialiatski was arrested on charges of financing the protests and smuggling money into Belarus, as his NGO, Viasna, which was never allowed to register in Belarus, needed to keep its funds in Vilnius and Warsaw, from where money was brought to support political prisoners in Belarus.

Ales Bialiatski
Middle-aged white man stands proundly wearing a suit
David G. Silvers | CC BY NC SA 2.0

FREE Julian Assange

WikiLeaks founder Assange as a journalist revealed international human rights abuses, war crimes and corruption. He is currently being held in the high-security and controversial Belmarsh Prison in London. The whistle-blower has suffered a serious decline in his mental and physical health since his incarceration in April 2019. Follow the ongoing appeals, U.S. extradition trials, implications for press freedom, and the growing support for his release.

FREE Julian Assange
Two beautiful smiling women from Somalia sit at an awards table for the Right Livelihood Award 2022 ceremony
Right LIvelihood Award

Right Livelihood Awards 2022

This year's inspiring laureates of the RLA share a vision of social change. They prove that broken systems can, and must be fixed. The winners include Fartuun Adan and Ilwad Elman of Somalia for their peacebuilding and human rights work with marginalized groups. Human rights defender Oleksandra Matviichuk and her outstanding work with the Center for Civil Liberties in Ukraine. Venezuelan organisation Cecosesola for its commitment to providing affordable goods and services to families in dire need. Finally, the Africa Institute for Energy Governance in Uganda, for emboldening communities to stand-up for environmental causes, and against destructive oil and gas industries.

Right Livelihood Awards 2022
A photograph of Judith Heumann.
By Taylordw, CC BY-SA 4.0 | Wikimedia Commons

Judy Heumann (1947-2023)

Her journey began when she was refused a job as a teacher because of her physical condition, having been diagnosed with polio at the age of 18 months. This refusal led her to dedicate her life to building a more inclusive society for people with disabilities, believing that it was exclusion from society, not disability, that held people back. Heumann was a great civil rights heroine who dedicated her life to advocating for the inclusion of people with disabilities in the U.S.

Judy Heumann (1947-2023)
Thich Nhat Hanh

Thich Nhat Hanh (1926-2022)

We celebrate the legacy of Thich Nhat Hanh, the Buddhist monk who was a global inspiration for his work on peaceful conflict resolution. The founder of engaged Buddhism was an outspoken opponent of the Vietnam War, and anti-war campaigner. He helped spread the concept of mindfulness across the west, and dedicated his whole life to peace work.

Thich Nhat Hanh (1926-2022)

Bernie Sanders

The Senator from Vermont is the longest independent member of Congress in U.S. history. He ran for presidency twice. Sanders is well known for his work to stop the growing wealth gap in the USA, and for his call of a "Political Revolution", which seeks to achieve the common good and positively transform U.S. policy.

Bernie Sanders

Desmond Tutu

On December 26th, the Nobel Peace Prize laureate and anti-apartheid activist Desmond Tutu passed away. Known for his cheerful and positive manner, the clergyman was Archbishop of Cape Town for ten years and also chairman of the South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission. In addition to his lifelong commitment against racism and South African apartheid, he campaigned for global climate protection, peace, education and the rights of ethnic and sexual minorities.

Desmond Tutu
White lady with blonde hair wearing a suit talks passionately
Flickr | Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung

Frances Haugen

The former Facebook employee and whistleblower Frances Haugen disclosed thousands of Facebook's internal documents to the Securities and Exchange Commission and Wall Street Journal in 2021. After publicly acknowledging this, she is now being questioned by the US Congress. Haugen accuses Facebook of violations of consumer protection, product safety and data security and sees far-reaching dangers for democracy and society with an urgent need for regulation.

Frances Haugen
lasanta.com.ec

Nelson Mandela Day - July 18

Every July 18 we celebrate the legacy of this true leader who will always be remembered for his transcendental role in the liberation of South Africa from apartheid. He spent his life fighting for a free, democratic and anti-racist society. His ideals have shaped world leaders and touched millions of people around the world.

Nelson Mandela Day - July 18
Malcolm x Clipart
CC0 1.0. | Openclipart

Malcolm X

This year marks the 57th anniversary of the assassination of one of the icons of the civil rights movement. Last year, two men wrongly accused of his murder were exonerated, so we still don't know who killed him and why. Malcolm is sometimes seen as MLK's counterpart for his belief that black Americans should protect themselves from aggression by any means, which contrasted with King's non-violent discourse. In reality, Malcolm did not advocate violence, but encouraged active action for freedom, equality and justice.  

Malcolm X
Nina Subin/Random House

Bryan Stevenson

He is a U.S. civil rights attorney and the founder of the Equal Justice Initiative, which is an organization rooted in the fight for a justice system that is not based on systemic racism. EJI's initiative is to provide the opportunity for legal representation for those who cannot obtain it, or for those who have not had a fair trial. Stevenson has long fought for a justice system that can ensure equal rights for all.

Bryan Stevenson
Right Livelihood Award Foundation

Lottie Cunningham Wren

She is a human rights activist whose work as a lawyer has been dedicated to defending the rights of indigenous people and people of African descent in Nicaragua. Wren is the founder of CEJUDHCAN, an organization that provides educational programs and legal support to help people protect their natural resources.

Lottie Cunningham Wren

Dalai Lama

Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama and Buddhist monk, is celebrating his 85th birthday on July 6. The spiritual head of the Tibetan Buddhists resigned from his political duties in 2011 but is still an influential voice for global peace. He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1989 for his lifelong commitment to harmony and non-violent resistance to the occupation of Tibet by China.

Dalai Lama
Bruce Kent - White man infront of anti-nuclear weapons poster
Wikimedia | Garry Knight

Bruce Kent obituary (1929 – 2022)

We send our condolences to the loved ones of charismatic peace advocate Bruce Kent. The Roman Catholic priest dedicated his life to the campaign for nuclear disarmament, becoming a figure head and inspiration to peace advocates. He was the vice-president of the CND and Pax Christi - the international Catholic peace movement. During many of his public speeches he condemned the use of nuclear weapons and labelled them immoral due to their ability to commit mass murder.

Bruce Kent obituary (1929 – 2022)

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Hero of the Month

Jeremy Corbyn

“Not the candidate of Fleet Street or the Billionaires”, Jeremy Corbyn is known for his lifelong commitment to social justice, civil rights, health care, climate change, peace & democracy, and engaging students, workers & middle class citizens.

 

The Goldman Environmental Prize

Featured Organisation of the Month

The Goldman Prize

This Prize honors the achievements and leadership of grassroot environmental activists from around the world. Through recognizing these individual leaders, the Prize seeks to inspire citizens to take extraordinary actions to protect our natural resources.

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RLA

Featured Online Resource of the Month

The Right Livelihood Award Directory

Since 1980, The Right Livelihood Award has been awarded to inspirational people working to make a better world. Here you can find their directory of laureates, which you can search by year, location and topic. 

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