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Famous Activists

Civil Rights Icons

Rosa Parks

Rosa Parks: Timeline of Her Life, Montgomery Bus Boycott and Death

frederick douglass posing for camera in a suit

Frederick Douglass

W.E.B. Du Bois

W.E.B. Du Bois

malcom x in suit and tie

Malcolm X

richard loving

Richard Loving

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Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. delivers his famous "I Have a Dream" speech in front of the Lincoln Memorial during the Freedom March on Washington in 1963

Martin Luther King Jr.’s Life and Legacy

Martin Luther King Jr.’s Famous Speech Almost Didn’t Have the Phrase 'I Have a Dream'

After staying up until 4 a.m. to craft a speech he hoped would have the same impact as the Gettysburg Address, MLK went off-script for his most iconic words.

By Rachel Chang

martin luther king addresses crowds during the march on washington at the lincoln memorial washington dc where he gave his i have a dream speech

17 Inspiring Martin Luther King Jr. Quotes

By Biography.com Editors

Martin Luther King in India

How Martin Luther King Jr. Took Inspiration From Gandhi on Nonviolence

By Becky Little

Martin Luther King Jr and Malcolm X

Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X Only Met Once

By Barbara Maranzani

Muhammad Ali and Martin Luther King Jr.

Martin Luther King Jr. and Muhammad Ali’s Surprising Secret Friendship

By Erin Blakemore

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Groundbreaking Women

Malala Yousafzai Photo

9 Facts You May Not Know About Malala Yousafzai

By Biography.com Editors

Gloria Steinem Playboy Bunny

Inside Gloria Steinem’s Month as an Undercover Playboy Bunny

By Rachel Chang

shirley chisholm

Shirley Chisholm and the 9 Other First Black Women in Congress

Seneca Falls Convention

The Women’s Rights Movement and the Women of Seneca Falls

By Meredith Worthen

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Change Makers

Environmentaliststs

Greta Thunberg

Greta Thunberg

Wangari Maathai

Wangari Maathai

Rachel Carson

Rachel Carson

Marjory Stoneman Douglas Photo

Marjory Stoneman Douglas

Labor Leaders

Cesar Chavez

Cesar Chavez

Mother Jones

Mother Jones

A. Philip Randolph

A. Philip Randolph

Jimmy Hoffa

Jimmy Hoffa

preview for Booker T. Washington - Mini Biography

Booker T. Washington - Mini Biography

In 1881, Booker T. Washington founded the Tuskegee Institute in Alabama, which focused on training African Americans in agricultural pursuits. A political adviser and writer, Washington clashed with intellectual W.E.B. Du Bois.

More Famous Activists

PURDUE PHARMA, STAMFORD, CT, UNITED STATES - 2019/09/12: Artist and Activist Nan Goldin - Members of P.A.I.N. (Prescription Addiction Intervention Now) and Truth Pharm staged a protest on September 12, 2019 outside Purdue Pharma headquarters in Stamford, over their recent controversial opioid settlement. Participants dropped hundreds prescription bottles of OxyContin while holding tombstones with the names of opioids casualties and banners reading "Shame on Sackler" and "200 Dead Each Day". (Photo by Erik McGregor/LightRocket via Getty Images)

How Nan Goldin Waged War Against Big Pharma

susan b anthony facing left of the camera in a black and white photo, she has a solemn expression on her face and her hair is pulled back into a low bun, she is wearing wire rimmed glasses and a fancy black satin dress with white and black lace detailing, a cameo brooch is attached to the dress collar

Susan B. Anthony

a statute of four men standing side by side in front of a college building

How the Greensboro Four Began the Sit-In Movement

myrlie evers williams

Myrlie Evers-Williams