A SALUTE TO HUMANITARIAN EFFORTS OF BRAVE AMERICANS: 250 YEARS OF BORDER-CROSSING IN SEARCH OF DEMOCRACY – Our Kids Need to Know

As we celebrate America’s Semiquincentennial (250th Anniversary), we should all be reminded that democracy, the American experiment, is still in the making. We should also remember that the core of democracy is human rights. More importantly, the human rights struggle has and continues to be fought by warriors from various races, religions, nationalities, etc. Some of these unsung humanitarian heroes may never be celebrated, but they are great contributors to the American experiment. Should we not provide opportunities for our youth to know these heroes?

I am currently reading a fascinating book, Get Back to the Counter: Seven Lessons from Civil Rights Icon Joan Trumpauer Mulholland. Joan Trumpauer Mulholland is one of the unsung humanitarian heroes. I am honored to spotlight her in this issue.

Joan Trumpauer was awarded the Freedom Award from the National Civil Rights Museum in 2015. “Joan was honored for her bravery during the sit-ins, the Freedom Rides and the March on Washington 1963” (Ruby Bridges-Hall). Some know her as the first White student to integrate Tougaloo College in Jackson, Mississippi, an HBCU. Others might also know her as the first White female inducted into Delta Sigma Theta (Black sorority in Divine 9). Ruby Bridges-Hall describes Joan, “Her sacrifice and courage during the Civil Rights Movement as a young White foot soldier speaks to the face that people of all races set aside their differences, came together and fought for what was right. We must admire her tenacity to stay in this fight: Justice for all.” (Ruby Bridges is a prominent civil rights activist known for being the first African American child to integrate the all-white William Frantz Elementary School in New Orleans in 1960. She was the subject of the 1964 painting, The Problem We All Live With, by Norman Rockwell.)

Do you think that introducing youth to a variety of humanitarian heroes will give them positive role models and/or more choices of paths to take?

[1] Humanitarian heroes are individuals and grassroots groups who dedicate their lives to protecting the vulnerable, advancing civil rights, and providing critical aid during conflicts and disasters. (https://www.unhcr.org)