Who are your pro-democracy heroes?

Guerrilla Readers: Prequel, Democracy Awakening, Jesus & John Wayne

One reader added a comment this morning to our ongoing discussion of important pro-democracy books. Leenie H. has finished Prequel and is left wondering “who our heroes today will be, what sacrifices they will make for democracy.” That thought, she adds, is thrilling: “thinking that somewhere, right now someone is making hard choices and stepping out of line to take on the herculean work at hand. Just as there are always greed-drenched, power-lusting players, there are also those committed body, heart, and soul to the triumph of truth, equality, and justice.”

I don’t know about you, but I am so glad to have that reminder. In a time when all the news is bad news, when all we hear are stories about power grabs and government disruption, we need a hero or two—as many as we can get, actually.

And they’re out there, if we only pay attention! My candidate-of-the-morning (it will probably be different this afternoon) is Greenpeace, which just lost an important interim court battle (there will likely be an appeal). Greenpeace has been fighting our climate, social justice, and battles for decades now. I admire their persistence, their creative confrontations, their enduring commitment to the defense of democracy. They are my heroes. Who are yours?

To preserve the thread, I’ve closed comments on this post. Comments are open on Monday’s discussion post, here. Please share your thoughts.

Susan