"Never, never be afraid to do what's right, especially if the well-being of a person or animal is at stake. Society's punishments are small compared to wounds we inflict on our soul when we look the other way." Martin Luther King, Jr.
When individuals think of standing up for civil rights, our minds often recall famous leaders, such as Martin Luther King, Jr. and Elizabeth Cady Stanton. We envision peaceful protests, thought-provoking speeches, and groundbreaking conventions.
If we were to look up either of these incredible activists, we would be able to find pages and pages of information that detail their long journeys in fighting for the rights of African-American in 1960's and the rights of women in the 1800's.
They are both incredible examples of leadership and the ability to set forth change. However, both Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Martin Luther King, Jr. suffered greatly when they stood up for what they believed in.
Only one day after the Seneca Falls Convention in 1848, Elizabeth Cady Stanton was met with great ridicule and harassment. Newspapers mocked her and the women she had recruited to help her, belittling their efforts and the audacity of these women wanting the ability to vote in anything. An educated woman for her time, even her friends were shocked that she would push for something so crazy as the right to vote.
The Women's Rights Movement was met with such hostile opposition that it would take seventy-two years before women were granted what we take as a common occurrence: the right to have their voices heard through voting.
Martin Luther King, Jr. was a peaceful man who started out as a pastor. However, when he saw the opportunity to take a stand, he did so. He was the leader for the first major protest for African-American rights. During this protest, he was beaten, arrested, and even had his house bombed.
He soldiered on with his career and continued to make waves in America, becoming the youngest man to have been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. On April 4, 1968, Martin Luther King, Jr. made the ultimate sacrifice for his beliefs. Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated while standing on his balcony.
Despite the violent backlash they received, Dr. King and Ms. Stanton fought for what they believed in until they couldn't anymore. Their names are forever known and their legacies live on with us.
As Martin Luther King, Jr. said, "Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere." It only takes one person willing to stand alone to stop injustice.
