At a staff meeting last Thursday, we began with each of us answering this question: “If you could spend an hour with one person, living or dead, who played an important role in a social movement, who would you choose and why?”
I was moved and inspired by people’s choices, and I wanted to share the list with the broader NCRP community. Without violating trust and revealing which staffer chose which heroes or “she-roes,” here is the list:
1. Thomas Paine, activist, theorist and revolutionary
“If you’re going to choose a Founding Father, best to choose the only one that actually opposed slavery. He wrote several things that influence my thinking on what philanthropy is and ought to be doing, such as how great wealth is only relevant if the poor benefit and that a country’s worth is measured by the status of its disadvantaged.”
2. Harriet Tubman, abolitionist and creator of the underground railroad
“I can’t imagine the courage it took to do what she did. I’d want to get her advice about what we can do to end the slavery that is still going on in our world today.”
3. Malcolm X, civil rights leader and radical
“I’d love to talk with him about his conversion from the Nation of Islam to practicing more inclusive and true Islam as El-Hajj Malik El-Shabbaz, and how his faith influenced his approach to addressing civil and human rights.”
4. Jose Antonio Vargas, activist, filmmaker, and Pulitzer-Prize winning journalist
“It’s amazing how this undocumented immigrant from the Philippines has been instrumental in shaping the conversation around comprehensive immigration reform, including the somewhat successful effort to get people to stop using the word illegal to refer to people/immigrants.”
5. Tererai Trent, activist for women’s rights and educational opportunities
“I chose this relatively unknown woman from Zimbabwe because of her amazing attitude of never giving up and her desire to give back to others. Her work with Heifer International and her focus on empowering women and girls are very significant to me. Her life story and how she got educated are an inspiration.”
6. Howard Zinn, historian, activist
“Zinn’s book A People’s History of the United States really shaped how I think. It’s changed how we think about our history and how history isn’t without its own bias. ”
7. Bayard Rustin, civil rights organizer and strategist
“Rustin’s strategic sense was critical to the success of the movement and to the March on Washington. He faced marginalization for many reasons including his sexual orientation. The recent biography of him by John D’Emilio is fantastic.”
8. Bernice Johnson Reagon, singer/songwriter; civil rights and women’s right activist
“Her music is amazing. She was active in the civil rights movement and I’ve heard her speak a few times. She’s always articulate and brings new perspective to how I think about things.”
9. Elizabeth Cady Stanton, women’s suffrage movement leader
“This is women’s history month, and the suffrage movement was incredibly powerful and effective. I would want to get ideas from her.”
10. Vani Hari, healthy food movement leader
“I love how the Food Babe exposes the horrible ingredients in some of the mass-produced foods we eat. Documenting how common foods include ingredients that are toxic and illegal in other countries is one way to help with food security.”
11. Harvey Milk, first openly gay person elected to public office
“He was such a great pioneer and leader for the movement for LGBTQ equality. Even though his political tenure was short, his focus on labor rights and much more show how great he was. I think I would really enjoy getting to know him.”
12. Gloria Steinem, women’s movement leader
“She really was the first to introduce ideas of social justice and feminism to me that shaped how I view the world. Also, she just turned 80 and she still looks great! One of my favorite quotes from her is: The truth will set you free, but first it will piss you off!”
13. Alvin Ailey, choreographer and activist
“Modern dance is my passion, and Alvin Ailey is amazing. He has succeeded in diversifying elite dance in this country. He helped integrate modern African American dancers and dance into mainstream dance instead of just positioning this art form as a ‘traditional’ one.”
14. Helen Keller, author and disability rights activist
“Most people know about Helen Keller as a woman who was able to overcome her disabilities and her relationship with Annie Sullivan. Far fewer people know that she was an activist who worked on labor rights and women’s suffrage among other issues.”
15. Edie Windsor, plaintiff in United States v. Windsor
“Edie Windsor’s victory over DOMA came at the cost of a great personal tragedy. I think it’d be interesting to talk to her about how she transformed her grief into something really important for the movement.”
NCRP has an amazing and talented staff team. If you only know one or two people here, I encourage you to get to know others. Look for us at philanthropy conferences or anywhere groups are gathered to advance fairness and democracy. With movement heroes like those listed above, you know we’re a multi-dimensional group. Brief biographies of each person can found by clicking on their name, below:
- Aaron Dorfman, Executive Director
- Caitlin Duffy, Graduate Research Intern
- Kevin Faria, Development Director
- Kourtney Ginn, Field Assistant
- Alison Howard, Communications Associate
- Jeanné Isler, Field Director
- Niki Jagpal, Research and Policy Director
- Kevin Laskowski, Senior Research and Policy Associate
- Gabrielle McCaffrey, Communications Associate
- Anna Kristina (“Yna”) C. Moore, Communications Director
- Dan Petegorsky, Senior Fellow
- Lisa Ranghelli, Director of Foundation Assessment
- Christine Reeves, Senior Field Associate
- Ryan Schlegel, Development Assistant
- Beverley Samuda-Wylder, Senior Administrative Associate
What about you? If you could spend an hour with one person who played an important role in a social movement, who would you choose?
Aaron Dorfman is executive director of NCRP.
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