Famous American Human Rights Activists

When the armies of Cyprus the Great conquered Babylon, little did people knew what was to happen next. To their surprise, the conqueror freed the slaves, established racial equality and declared freedom of religion, thus starting the first chapter of the world’s charter of human rights. In the millenniums following, there have been numerous Cyprus’s who have risen above the oppression and fought against the tyranny to give people their rights. It is to these great souls that we dedicate this section. America maybe a super power today and at the topmost position in the global front when it comes to human rights but the scenario wasn’t the same always. The country suffered from numerous problems and its people had little freedom. Slavery, oppression, civil rights were few of the many issues that Americans dealt with. However, there were several American human rights activists who fought for, campaigned and promoted human rights freedom. Some of them worth mentioning are Abraham Lincoln who made the famous Emancipation Proclamation, Martin Luther King Jr. who worked as a non-violence civil rights leader, Thomas Jefferson who authored the Declaration of Independence and Jimmy Carter who established the Carter Center. Know in details about the famous American human rights activists.
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 1 
Malcolm X
(Major Figure of American Civil Rights Movement)
Malcolm X
8
Birthdate: May 19, 1925
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Omaha, Nebraska, United States
Died: February 21, 1965

An African-American leader of the civil rights movement, Malcolm X was a vocal spokesman of the Nation of Islam and called upon the blacks to protect themselves from the white, even if it meant adopting violence. His radical views and preaching later evolved and he accepted the possibility of peaceful resolution of racial issues in America.

 2 
Fred Hampton
(American Activist and Deputy Chairman of the National Black Panther Party)
Fred Hampton
4
Birthdate: August 30, 1948
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Shreveport, Louisiana, United States
Died: December 4, 1969

Fred Hampton was considered an activist and a revolutionary socialist working for social change. He was the deputy chairman of the national Black Panther Party. He founded the Rainbow Coalition, aiming to help the Chicago street gangs to end infighting. The FBI considered him as a major threat and he was shot and killed in December 1969 during a raid.

 3 
Solomon Northup
6
Birthdate: July 10, 1807
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Minerva, New York
Died: 1863 AD
Abolitionist Solomon Northup had authored the memoir Twelve Years a Slave, which was later adapted into the Academy Award-winning film 12 Years a Slave. Northup was abducted and sold as a slave to a planter in Louisiana. He was eventually freed with the help of the governor New York.
 4 
Martin Luther King III
(Human Rights Activist)
Martin Luther King III
6
Birthdate: October 23, 1957
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Montgomery, Alabama
The American civil rights activist has continued his legendary father Martin Luther King Jr.’s struggle for racial equality. Martin Luther King III headed the Southern Christian Leadership Conference founded by his father and endorsed Barack Obama’s nomination for American presidency. King fought against police brutality, but he also denounced capital punishment, saying he did not belive in retributional justice.
 5 
Melissa Mathison
(Screenwriter)
Melissa Mathison
6
Birthdate: June 3, 1950
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Los Angeles, California, United States
Died: November 4, 2015

Melissa Mathison was a screenwriter and an activist for the Tibetan independence movement. She attended the University of California, Berkeley, for a while but quit before graduating. She was acquainted with Francis Ford Coppola who encouraged her to pursue a screenwriting career. She was once married to actor, Harrison Ford, and had two children.

 6 
Yolanda King
(Civil Rights Activist and Daughter of Civil Rights Leader 'Martin Luther King Jr.')
Yolanda King
9
Birthdate: November 17, 1955
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Montgomery, Alabama, United States
Died: May 15, 2007

African American activist, Yolanda King, was the first-born child of civil rights leaders Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King. Exposed to social justice activism at a young age, she grew up to be an outspoken supporter of civil rights and LGBTQA+ rights. She was also known for her artistic endeavors. She died of heart disease at 51. 

 7 
Lorraine Hansberry
(Writer, Theatre director, Screenwriter, Playwright, Human rights activist)
Lorraine Hansberry
4
Birthdate: May 19, 1930
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Chicago, Illinois, United States
Died: January 12, 1965

Lorraine Hansberry was a writer and playwright best remembered for her play A Raisin in the Sun which emphasizes the plight of African-Americans living under racial segregation. At the age of 29, Lorraine Hansberry received the New York Drama Critics' Circle Award, becoming the youngest playwright and the first African-American dramatist to win the prestigious award.

 8 
Zelda Rubinstein
(Actress)
Zelda Rubinstein
3
Birthdate: May 28, 1933
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
Died: January 27, 2010
 9 
Jello Biafra
(Singer, Actor, Human rights activist, Politician, Journalist)
Jello Biafra
6
Birthdate: June 17, 1958
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Boulder
 10 
Andrew Koenig
(Actor)
Andrew Koenig
3
Birthdate: August 17, 1968
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Los Angeles, California, USA
Died: February 14, 2010
 11 
Lady Miss Kier
(Singer)
Lady Miss Kier
3
Birthdate: August 15, 1963
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Youngstown, Ohio, USA
 12 
Ed Roberts
(American disability rights activist)
Ed Roberts
3
Birthdate: January 23, 1939
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: San Mateo, California, United States
Died: March 14, 1995

Ed Roberts was an American activist best remembered for his contribution to the disability rights movement. Roberts, who became the first student to attend the University of California, Berkeley in a wheelchair, played an important role in inspiring and motivating people with physical disabilities. In 2011, Ed Roberts was inducted into the California Hall of Fame.

 13 
Iris Chang
(Journalist)
Iris Chang
3
Birthdate: March 28, 1968
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Princeton, New Jersey, United States
Died: November 9, 2004
 14 
Ella Baker
(American activist)
Ella Baker
3
Birthdate: December 13, 1903
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Norfolk, Virginia, United States
Died: December 13, 1986
 15 
Kerry Kennedy
(American Lawyer, Author and Human Rights Activist)
Kerry Kennedy
8
Birthdate: September 8, 1959
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Washington, D.C., United States

The daughter of Robert F. Kennedy, Kerry Kennedy serves as a human rights activist. She is the president of a non-profit organization called Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights, which advocates human rights. Over the years, Kerry Kennedy has worked in over 60 countries on various human rights issues like child labor, ethnic violence, indigenous land rights, and freedom of expression.

 16 
Jack Herer
(Politician)
Jack Herer
3
Birthdate: June 18, 1939
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Buffalo NY, United States
Died: April 15, 2010
 17 
Opal Tometi
(Activist)
Opal Tometi
6
Birthdate: August 15, 1984
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Phoenix, Arizona, United States

Opal Tometi is an American writer, human rights activist, community organizer, and strategist. She is best known as a co-founder of the popular decentralized social and political movement Black Lives Matter (BLM). In 2017, Opal Tometi was honored with the prestigious Letelier-Moffitt Human Rights Award. In 2020, she was named in the 100 Most Influential People list by Time magazine.

 18 
Walter Reuther
(Politician)
Walter Reuther
3
Birthdate: September 1, 1907
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Wheeling, USA
Died: May 9, 1970
 19 
Ophelia Dahl
(Social justice and health care advocate)
Ophelia Dahl
3
Birthdate: May 12, 1964
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Oxford, England
 20 
Geronimo Pratt
(Former military veteran who was accused in 1972 for the 1968 murder of Caroline Olsen)
Geronimo Pratt
3
Birthdate: September 13, 1947
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Morgan City, Louisiana, United States
Died: June 2, 2011
 21 
Angelina Grimke
(American Political Activist, Abolitionist, and Women's Rights Advocate)
Angelina Grimke
3
Birthdate: February 20, 1805
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Charleston, South Carolina, USA
Died: October 26, 1879

Angelina Grimke was an American political activist, abolitionist, women's rights advocate, and promoter of the women's suffrage movement. She is best remembered for the anti-slavery speech which she gave outside Pennsylvania Hall in May 1838. One of her letters regarding anti-slavery was published by William Lloyd Garrison in his newspaper The Liberator in 1835.

 22 
Alan Lomax
(Folklorist)
Alan Lomax
3
Birthdate: January 31, 1915
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Austin
Died: July 19, 2002
 23 
Gerda Weissmann Klein
(American Holocaust Survivor Who Became an Inspiring Speaker and Human Rights Activist)
Gerda Weissmann Klein
3
Birthdate: May 8, 1924
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Bielsko, Poland
Died: April 3, 2022

Gerda Weissmann Klein is a Polish American writer. She survived the Holocaust in which her entire family perished. Later on, she wrote an autobiographical account of the Holocaust, All but My Life, which was adapted into a short film. She and her husband became advocates of Holocaust education. She was given the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2011.

 24 
Michelle Alexander
(Lawyer)
Michelle Alexander
3
Birthdate: October 7, 1967
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Chicago, Illinois, United States
 25 
Noura Erakat
(Human rights activist)
Noura Erakat
3
Birthdate: January 16, 1980
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Alameda County, California, United States
 26 
Mia Farrow
(Actress & Human Rights Activist Known for Her Films: 'Rosemary's Baby' and 'Guns at Batasi')
Mia Farrow
0
Birthdate: February 9, 1945
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Los Angeles, California, United States

Mia Farrow is one of the most decorated actresses of her generation. She is the first American actress to join the Royal Shakespeare Company. Apart from being an actress, she is also known for her humanitarian activities, especially in African countries. A UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador, Mia was named in Time magazine's most influential people in the world list in 2008.

 27 
Jacob M. Appel
(Historian, Novelist, Writer, Playwright, Medical writer, Human rights activist, Journalist)
Jacob M. Appel
3
Birthdate: February 21, 1973
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: New York City

Author and bioethicist Jacob M. Appel gained fame with his award-winning first novel The Man Who Wouldn't Stand Up. Also known for his essays and short stories, he has seven masters degrees, in subjects ranging from American history to public health. He is also a practicing psychiatrist at the Mount Sinai Health System.

 28 
Helen Prejean
(Catholic Religious Sister and a Leading American Advocate for the Abolition of the Death Penalty)
Helen Prejean
5
Birthdate: April 21, 1939
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Baton Rouge, Louisiana, United States

A leading advocate for abolition of death penalty, Roman Catholic sister, Helen Prejea,n started her campaign after she became spiritual guide for a death row convict, penning down her experience in her best-selling book, Dead Man Walking. Also the founder of SURVIVE, a group aimed at helping the families of the victims, she has since been giving talks across USA.     

 29 
Lillian Wald
(American Nurse and the Founder of American Nursing Community)
Lillian Wald
3
Birthdate: March 10, 1867
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Cincinnati, Ohio, United States
Died: September 1, 1940

Lillian Wald was an American nurse, author, and humanitarian. She is credited with establishing the Henry Street Settlement, a not-for-profit social service agency in New York City. After founding the agency, Lillian Wald became an activist and fought for the rights of minorities and women. She also supported racial integration and campaigned for suffrage.  

 30 
Loung Ung
(Memoirist who wrote two books which related her life experiences from 1975 through 2003)
Loung Ung
1
Birthdate: November 19, 1970
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Phnom Penh, Cambodia
 31 
Shirley Graham Du Bois
(Author)
Shirley Graham Du Bois
3
Birthdate: November 11, 1896
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Indianapolis, Indiana, United States
Died: March 27, 1977
 32 
Shields Green
(Activist, Sailor)
Shields Green
0
Birthdate: 1836 AD
Birthplace: South Carolina, United States
Died: December 16, 1859
 33 
Diane Nash
(Human rights activist)
Diane Nash
0
Birthdate: May 15, 1938
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Chicago, Illinois, United States
 34 
Charles W. Chesnutt
(Author)
Charles W. Chesnutt
3
Birthdate: June 20, 1858
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Cleveland, Ohio, United States
Died: November 17, 1932
 35 
Levi Coffin
(Abolitionist)
Levi Coffin
3
Birthdate: October 28, 1798
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Guilford County, North Carolina
Died: September 16, 1877
 36 
Yuri Orlov
(Physicist)
Yuri Orlov
2
Birthdate: August 13, 1924
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Moscow, Russia
Died: September 27, 2020
 37 
Avijit Roy
(Engineer, Blogger)
Avijit Roy
3
Birthdate: September 12, 1972
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Bangladesh
Died: February 26, 2015
 38 
Princess Sarah Zeid of Jordan
(Princess)
Princess Sarah Zeid of Jordan
2
Birthdate: August 1, 1972
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Houston, Texas, United States
 39 
Manning Marable
(Scholar)
Manning Marable
2
Birthdate: May 13, 1950
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Dayton, Ohio, United States
Died: April 1, 2011
 40 
Randall Robinson
(Lawyer)
Randall Robinson
2
Birthdate: July 6, 1941
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Richmond, Virginia, United States
 41 
Charlotte Forten Grimké
(Poet)
Charlotte Forten Grimké
2
Birthdate: August 17, 1837
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Died: July 23, 1914
 42 
Maggie Kuhn
(Activist)
Maggie Kuhn
4
Birthdate: August 3, 1905
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Buffalo, New York, United States
Died: April 22, 1995
 43 
Warren Kimbro
(Activist)
Warren Kimbro
2
Birthdate: April 29, 1934
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: New Haven, Connecticut, United States
Died: February 3, 2009
 44 
Clemantine Wamariya
(Writer, Motivational speaker)
Clemantine Wamariya
1
Birthdate: 1988 AD
Birthplace: Kigali, Rwanda
 45 
Alison Des Forges
(Historian)
Alison Des Forges
2
Birthdate: August 20, 1942
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Schenectady, New York, United States
Died: February 12, 2009
 46 
Moncure D. Conway
(Writer)
Moncure D. Conway
2
Birthdate: March 17, 1832
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Falmouth, Virginia, United States
Died: November 15, 1907
 47 
Madeline McDowell Breckinridge
(American Human Rights Activist and Social Reformer)
Madeline McDowell Breckinridge
2
Birthdate: May 20, 1872
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Franklin County, Kentucky, United States
Died: November 25, 1920

Madeline McDowell Breckinridge is best remembered for leading the women's suffrage movement in Kentucky. Mostly involved with campaigns related to children’s and women’s rights, she also established the Lexington Civic League, geared toward controlling child labor and upliftment of poor children. She was also associated with efforts to prevent tuberculosis.

 48 
Eliza Farnham
(Writer)
Eliza Farnham
2
Birthdate: November 17, 1815
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Rensselaer, New York, United States
Died: December 15, 1864
 49 
Fannie Barrier Williams
(Educator)
Fannie Barrier Williams
1
Birthdate: February 12, 1855
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Brockport, New York, United States
Died: March 4, 1944
 50 
Mary Hunt
(Activist)
Mary Hunt
1
Birthdate: 1830 AD
Birthplace: South Canaan, Connecticut, United States
Died: 1906 AD