Activism Sacrifice

Sacrificing Everything for the Sake of Others

As Paulo Coelho once said, “When we strive to become better than we are, everything around us becomes better too” (Coelho, goodreads.com). Activists constantly have this in their mind, making themselves better for others and the world. Every activist was born as an ordinary human. However their willpower to break through and change what they thought was unfair is what sets them apart from the pack. Unafraid of the consequences, they never seek fame, power, or wealth. They simply are motivated to act because of their beliefs--working to change what they think is wrong. Activists sacrifice everything for what they believe in. Whether they sacrifice, their time, effort, or life, they dedicate themselves

It was 1955, a time where people were getting mistreated because of their color. Rosa Parks, thinking that all people should be treated equally, refused to give her seat to a white passenger on a bus, and therefore was arrested and put in jail. She later explained, “people always say that I didn 't give up my seat because I was tired, but that isn 't true... No, the only tired I was, was tired of giving in” (Parks, goodreads.com). Her actions caused a spark that ignited the famous Montgomery Bus Boycott led by Martin Luther King Jr. Her actions helped to change laws, leading to the passage of a landmark civil rights law: the Civil Rights Act that passed the United States Congress on July 2, 1964: “The Act outlawed discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, or national origin, required equal access to public places and employment, and enforced desegregation of schools and the right to vote” (nps.gov.htm). All her life, Rosa Parks had to live in the shadow of white people, under laws that allowed them to be her superiors. However, Rosa Parks believed in righteousness and equality, and was against segregation. As Martin Luther King Jr said once, "Segregation...not only harms one physically, but injures one spiritually...It scars the soul...It is a system which forever stares the segregated in the face, saying 'You are less than... ' 'You are not equal to... '" (Martin Luther King Jr. , scholastic.com). Rosa Parks wanted to stop segregation so that others would not have to be considered as less powerful compared to