The MY HERO Project

Celebrate the best of humanity.

These essays have been written by vistors of all ages. If you have a hero story you would like to share with the world, visit the MY HERO Create Program.

Freedom Heroes

Abraham Lincoln was a U.S president who fought for the abolition of slavery while keeping the country united.	Abraham Lincoln's Life, Leadership, & Legacy: Historian Doris Kearns Goodwin Reveals the Man Behind the Icon	Alexander Hamilton helped established a thriving U.S. republic with strong moral values.	Alexander Solzhenitsyn was a Russian novelist and dissident who won the Nobel Prize for Literature.
Angela Davis is a leader, author, and professor who has fought for decades for human rights.	Art Miki founded the National Association for Japanese Canadians to help redress Japanese rights lost during WWII.	Aung San Suu Kyi has dedicated her life to freeing Burma from a repressive dictatorship and creating democracy without violence.	Benjamin Franklin was an inventor, diplomat, writer, and a huge influence on American history.
Bill Bradley once a pro-basketball player now is a politician who advocates reform to make America better for all.	Booker T. Washington was an educator and the founder of the Tuskegee Institute.	Cesar Chavez was a tireless advocate for migrant farm workers.	Chief Joseph led the Nez Perce tribe in an effort to keep its homeland.
Chief Standing Bear argued successfully for Native Americans to have the right of habeas corpus.	Clara Shortridge Foltz was the first woman to practice law in California.	Clarence Darrow is Morris Dees' hero.	Constance Motley became the first African-American woman judge on the largest federal trial bench in the US.
Craig Kielburger believes kids can change the world.	Crazy Horse bravely fought for the freedom of the Sioux Nation.	Dalai Lama is the religious leader of Tibet and an emblem of Tibet's hopes for freedom.	Daniel Pearl was a Wall Street Journal reporter who reported the news with courage, integrity, and intelligence.
Deborah Sampson was the first American woman who fought as a man for freedom.	Declaration of Human Rights established the basis for human rights beliefs and practices all over the world.	Denis Mukwege Helps Women Ravaged By Congo War	Desmond Tutu worked to end apartheid in South Africa.
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. "I Have a Dream" was the civil rights speech that moved the world	Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Congressman John Lewis talks about how Martin Luther King, Jr. inspired him as a young man during the Civil Rights Movement	Dr. Oscar Elias Biscet is known as the 'Mandela of Cuba' because he bravely defends the rights of Cuban citizens.	Eleanor Roosevelt was a champion for freedom and devoted her life to gaining rights for others
Elizabeth Cady Stanton was a pioneer in the movement for women's rights.	Ellen Johnson Sirleaf is the first woman president of an African nation, Liberia.	Emma Lazarus was an advocate for immigrants' rights and wrote the poem inscribed on the Statue of Liberty.	Emmeline Pankhurst fought tirelessly for women's suffrage, and succeeded.
Fadela Amara is recognized throughout France as a champion of women's rights.	Fannie Lou Hamer was a civil rights leader and voting rights advocate.	Frances Ellen Watkins was a prolific author and poet who devoted her life to speaking out against slavery.	Franklin Delano Roosevelt: The New Dealer guided the United States through the Great Depression and World War II.
Fred Korematsu bravely protested the Japanese-American internment.	Frederick Douglass courageously spoke out against slavery and became a trusted advisor to Abraham Lincoln.	George Washington was the first President of the United States.	Grace Lee Boggs has advocated for marginalized people for over 70 years
Harriet Tubman organized the Underground Railroad and helped lead slaves to freedom.	Helen Suzman bravely stood up against apartheid and was the first female South African Minister of Parliament.	Helen Zia is an Asian American journalist, scholar and activist for human rights.	Ian McKellen is an accomplished English actor and human rights activist.
Inez Milholland Boissevain lived a brief but spectacular life dedicated to women's suffrage.	Inge Sargent is a Burmese princess devoted to human rights for all.	Iqbal Masih was a brave advocate for child labor laws in Pakistan.	Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier in major league baseball.
James Reeb risked his own life as a brave civil rights crusader.	Jane Addams was a leading reformist and peace advocate.	Janet Jagan was the first female president of Guyana and dedicated her life to building the independence of a nation.	Janusz Korczak stayed behind to protect his orphan students during the Holocaust.
Jeremy Glick was a hero of Flight 93 and Emmy's beloved father.	Jessie Daniel Ames worked openly and actively on behalf of racial justice.	John Adams worked as hard for peace for the United States as he did for its independence.	John Lewis has worked for civil rights for all for over 40 years.
Jose Manuel Ramos-Horta is Kerry Kennedy's hero because of his human rights work in East Timor.	Jose Marti is considered the father of Cuba's battle for independence.	Joseph Ki-Zerbo works to help Africans retain control of their country's agriculture.	Josephine Baker was a popular African American dancer in France, fought for civil rights and freedom against the Nazis.
Judy Feld Carr secretly helped thousands of Jews escape from Syria.	Kailash Satyarthi is determined to end child labor practices around the world.	Kofi Annan is an honored freedom and peacemaker hero.	Lucky Chhetri runs the 3 Sisters Adventure Trekking company and Empowering Women of Nepal
Lydia Maria Child wrote brilliantly to advocate for the abolition of slavery.	Lyndon B. Johnson was John's great grandfather and the 36th President of the United States.	Malala Yousafzai speaks out for the rights of girls to have an education.	Malcolm X was a warrior in the fight against racism.
Marian Wright Edelman is one of the country's leading advocates for children.	Martin Luther King, Jr. Peaceful freedom fighter and civil rights activist	Mary Harris Jones worked to free men, women, and children from industrial slavery.	Mary Richards Bowser was a black spy in the Confederate White House of Jefferson Davis.
Medgar Wiley Evers worked to end racism in America	Mohammad Hatta was a central figure in Indonesia's fight for independence.	Mohandas K. Gandhi used non-violence to free India from British rule.	Morris Seligman Dees is the co-founder of the Southern Poverty Law Center.
Moses led the Jews from slavery and gave them religious laws.	Nellie McClung believed in equal rights for all women	Nelson Mandela is Muhammad Ali's hero because he understands what it means to fight against enormous odds	Nelson Mandela is a peacemaker and a freedom hero.
Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela dedicated his life to abolishing apartheid and establishing a democracy in South Africa.	Osceola led the Seminoles in their battle for independence.	Oskar Schindler saved almost 1200 Jews during the Holocaust.	Paul Revere risked his life for the freedom of the American colonies.
Pernille Ironside goes to war zones to free child soldiers Pernille Ironside goes to war zones to free child soldiers	Qasim Amin was a forerunner in the fight for women's liberation in the Islamic world.	Quaid-E-Azam helped to create the nation of Pakistan and obtain significant political rights for Muslims	RAWA promotes women's rights through non-violent action.
Rev. James Reeb worked for equal rights for all.	Reverend Peter Nguyen Van Hung works to end human trafficking of Vietnamese women workers and brides.	Robert F. Kennedy was a voice for the powerless and advocate for human rights.	Roger Nash Baldwin A pioneer in the struggle for civil justice.
Rosa Parks made history when she refused to sit in the back of the bus.	Ruby Bridges bravely led the way to desegregation of schools as a child.	Sojourner Truth born into slavery, worked for the freedom of all.	Susan B. Anthony led the early Women's Suffrage Movement.
Susie King Taylor was a pioneer in the struggle for African American women's rights.	The Danish Resistance acted bravely in a time of darkness.	The Greensboro Four protested segregation with a sit-in at Woolworth's lunch counter.	The Little Rock Nine bravely fought discrimination to attend an all white high school in Little Rock, Arkansas.
Thomas Jefferson helped the American Colonies achieve independence from Britain.	Thurgood Marshall was the first African-American to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court.	Tiananmen Square discuss freedom and democracy at Tian An Min Square.	Todd Beamer was a hero of Flight 93 on 9/11.
Ulysses S. Grant helped calm the U.S. after the Civil War.	Vaclav Havel despite censorship, wrote plays that helped keep the hope of freedom alive....	Varian Fry helped thousands of refugees escape from France during WWII.	W.E.B. Dubois was a leading 19th century writer and scholar.
William Wallace was a late 13th century freedom fighter for Scotland and Ireland	Winston Churchill was one of the first to recognize and warn others of Hitler's danger to freedom and human rights.