Righting Wrongs

20 Human Rights Heroes Around the World

Robin Kirk

• Publisher: Chicago Review Press
• eBook ISBN:
  9781641605601
• Year: 2022

2022 INDIES Winner Silver, Juvenile Nonfiction (Children's)
Many young people aren't aware that determined individuals created the rights we now take for granted.
The idea of human rights is relatively recent, coming out of a post–World War II effort to draw nations together and prevent or lessen suffering. Righting Wrongs introduces children to the true stories of 20 real people who invented and fought for these ideas. Without them, many of the rights we take for granted would not exist.
These heroes have promoted women's, disabled, and civil rights; action on climate change; and the rights of refugees. These advocates are American, Sierra Leonean, Norwegian, and Argentinian. Eleven are women. Two identified as queer. Twelve are people of color. One campaigned for rights as a disabled person. Two identify as Indigenous. Two are Muslim and two are Hindu, and others range from atheist to devout Christian. There are two journalists, one general, three lawyers, one Episcopal priest, one torture victim, and one Holocaust survivor.
Their stories of hope and hard work show how people working together can change the world for the better.

Table of contents

• Front Cover
• Title Page
• Copyright
• Dedication
• Contents
• Introduction
• The Man in White: Henri Dunant
• Europe’s Conscience: Fridtjof Nansen
• The White Flame: Eglantyne Jebb
• The Towering Intellect: Peng Chun (P. C.) Chang
• Equality, Not Special Status: Hansa Mehta
• Masters of their Fate: Carlos Peña Rómulo
• The Incurable Optimist: Ralph J. Bunche
• A Case for Humanity: Benjamin B. Ferencz
• Imp, Crusader, Dude: Pauli Murray
• Art as Protest: Víctor Jara
• Determination, Patience, Insistence: Juan E. Méndez
• The Tightrope Walker: Shirin Ebadi
• Refusing to be Silent: Judith Heumann
• Humans are Animals are Humans: Ingrid Newkirk
• Reclaiming the Meaning of Peace: Jody Williams
• The Long Road: S. James Anaya
• The Reporter: Anna Politkovskaya
• The Accidental Environmentalist: Catherine Coleman Flowers
• Sacred Rivers: Berta Cáceres
• The Tigress: FannyAnn Eddy
• Acknowledgments
• What can I Do?
• Sites to Visit
• Glossary
• Selected Bibliography
• Back Cover