Irene Gomez-Bethke, a daughter of Mexican parents who immigrated to Minnesota, played a leadership role in bending the arc of history toward social justice, serving as Minnesota Commissioner of Human Rights, guiding boards and commissions as a volunteer, and co-founding both Centro Cultural Chicano and Instituto de Arte y Cultura.
Acclaimed poet, feminist writer, and human rights activist. Much of Yamada’s work draws on the wartime incarceration of Japanese Americans.
Palestinian-American activist
In 1992, Veloria became the first Filipina in the United States to be elected to a state legislature.
Journalist and poet Asieh Amini is a leading voice in the campaign to end stoning and juvenile executions in Iran. Targeted by the state for her reporting and activism, she fled Iran in 2009, but continues to fight against censorship and other human rights abuses in the country.
Cecilia Chung is a groundbreaking advocate for the transgender community and those living with HIV/AIDS. For decades, she has worked on the local, state, and national levels to end the discrimination and violence that her communities face.
Sister Marjorie Tuite, O.P. was a Catholic feminist nun who fought for gender equality, especially within the Catholic Church. Tuite was a longtime activist in the broader struggle for civil rights. She was fiercely committed to her church and worked for several decades to make it more inclusive.
New Zealand human-rights campaigner and trail-blazing lawyer. As a community activist from the early 1950s she fought for social and political reform, while as a lawyer she spoke for those who had no voice and pursued equal rights for all.
Irish human rights lawyer
Leading African-American civil rights and human rights activist throughout much of the twentieth century.