A teacher and activist, Aki Kurose spent her life advocating for education and social justice through pacifism. Through her beliefs in peace and nonviolence, she worked towards the betterment of her community, advocated for desegregation, and strove to improve education.
Lifelong political activist in New Zealand
The realities of working-class life made her a lifelong rebel against poverty and injustice, especially as they affected women.
Environmental health advocate Catherine Coleman Flowers is determined to battle “America’s Dirty Secret”: unequal sewage and sanitation access for rural communities and people of color. A MacArthur Genius, she works on multiple fronts to improve public health, economic development, and access to water and sanitation amidst the growing threat of climate change.
Carmen Rupe was a trailblazing transgender woman and entertainer, a larger-than-life personality, sex worker, and celebrated LGBTIQ+ icon. Proprietor of several notorious Wellington nightspots and one-time mayoral candidate, she pushed the boundaries of Wellington nightlife and both entertained and outraged New Zealanders during the 1960s and 1970s. The most visible transgender New Zealander of her time, she used her celebrity to advocate for LGBTIQ+ rights. She was well-known for helping homeless people and others in need.