Social Activists

This thrilling narrative, with its wealth of little-known facts takes the listener on a journey through the life of independent India’s first law minister....

When Helen Keller was very young, she got a rare disease that made her deaf and blind. Suddenly, she couldn't see or hear at all, and it was hard for her to communicate with anyone. But when she was six years old, she met someone who changed her life forever: her teacher, Annie Sullivan....

Malala Yousafzai won the Nobel Peace Prize at the age of 17 for speaking out against injustice even when it was terrifying to do so. She was an ordinary Muslim girl who wanted to attend school, and she refused to stop protesting for her rights even after being attacked....

There is an ongoing crisis with regards to young men and mental health, with unhelpful gender stereotypes contributing to this malaise. Stories for Boys Who Dare to Be Different offers a welcome alternative narrative....

The world's greatest classics retold for children. Mahatma Gandhi is best known as the father of the Indian nation and a charismatic leader in the fight for justice for all....

Here’s the whole, true story of Rosa Parks’ life - and the spark of change she helped light for the civil rights movement....

As featured in the Oscar-nominated documentary Crip Camp, and for fans of I Am Malala, one of the most influential disability rights activists in US history tells her story of fighting to belong....

Malala Yousafzai was a girl who loved to learn but was told that girls would no longer be allowed to go to school. She wrote a blog that called attention to what was happening in her beautiful corner of Pakistan and realized that words can bring about change....

A courageous freedom fighter, a shrewd politician, a passionate social reformer, and a staunch nationalist, Mahatma Gandhi was all this and much more....

Betty Before X is the story of Dr. Betty Shabazz before she became a figurehead for the Civil Rights Movement....

Inspiring, relatable, and totally true biographies tell the childhood stories of a diverse group of trailblazers including Kamala Harris, Greta Thunberg, Ai Weiwei, Benazir Bhutto, Elliot Page, and John Lewis, along with ten other powerful figures....

Nelson Mandela is known for dedicating his life to fighting for equality in South Africa and overthrowing racial segregation. He grew up hearing the elders' stories of his ancestors' fighting in the wars of resistance, and he dreamed of fighting for the freedom of his people....

At one time Lew Alcindor was just another kid from New York City with all the usual problems: He struggled with fitting in, with pleasing a strict father, and with overcoming shyness....

Michelle Obama is a lawyer, a writer, an activist and a first lady of the United States of America.... 

At age six the sharp bite of a whip taught Harriet Tubman what it meant to be a slave. The other slaves scoffed when Harriet resolved to escape north someday. Little did they know that this girl would one day lead hundreds of slaves to freedom on the Underground Railroad....

In August 2018, a teenager named Greta Thunberg missed school to sit outside the Swedish parliament with a sign that read School Strike for Climate. She was demanding that government leaders take stronger action against climate change due to global warming. At first, Greta sat alone. But her message spread.

Dutch student Boyan Slat always loved inventing. A visit to the oceans of Greece inspired his greatest invention ever. Why were there more plastic bags than fish? How could he save the sea? Learn more about Boyan’s Great Pacific Garbage Patch project; The Ocean Cleanup and his plastic cleanup invention, System 001; and the challenges behind removing trash from our oceans and rivers.

When the United States entered World War II, it had to face its own contradictions at home. Opportunities opened up for Black people and women in support of the war effort. But ideas about race and gender didn't change as swiftly. Listen to the story of the first all-Black battalion in the Women's Army Corps—the Six Triple Eight—and its leader, Major Charity Adams. These women bravely confronted the racism and sexism they experienced. And they did it while creating a system to make sure millions of letters and packages got to soldiers fighting in Europe.

Wangari Maathai was a fierce protector of the environment and a couragous advocate for women's rights, especially in her native country of Kenya. Her journey from a girl of rural Africa to college professor, founder of the Green Belt Movement, and Nobel Peace Prize Laureate shows listeners how little things can bring about big change.

You may have learned about Cesar Chavez’s leadership in organizing the well-known Delano Grape Strike and Boycott of the 1960s. But did you know it began as a strike led by Larry Itliong? He was a Filipino labor organizer who had also been working with grape pickers in California at the time.

Most people have heard about Rosa Parks’s brave actions that led to the Montgomery Bus Boycott of 1955. But there were other Black women who challenged segregation in transportation. Three years earlier, Sarah Keys Evans—a veteran—refused to give up her seat on a bus traveling through the South.

When 6-year-old Ruby Bridges and her mother went to William Frantz Elementary School on November 14, 1960, they arrived to find an angry crowd of white people shouting racist insults. For her safety, Ruby had to be escorted to school every day by U.S. Marshals. But despite the hateful attitudes of others, Ruby didn't miss a single day of school that year.

Taking a stand and being an activist means having the courage to speak up for an important cause. For football player Colin Kaepernick and basketball great LeBron James, fighting for social justice is their top priority. Learn how they and other players use their platform as celebrity athletes to bring attention and change to the cause of social justice.

Jackie Robinson was the first Black player in Major League Baseball. Arthur Ashe was the first Black man to win several pro tennis titles. Listeners will learn about these athletes and others who have fought for and spoken out for racial equity in sports and the greater society.

Activists take a stand. They speak out and demand change. From legendary boxer Muhammad Ali to baseball star Carlos Delgado, listeners discover the pro athletes who have affected change by speaking out against war and its impact on society.

From tennis legend Billie Jean King to the U.S. Women’s Soccer Team, athletes have fought for equity and fairness for women in professional sports. Discover the pro athletes who have used their platform to speak out and affect change for all women.

Thank you, Isatou Ceesay! Meet a climate activist whose clever way to deal with the plastic bags that were polluting her village ended up creating jobs for hundreds of women, and saving her village from pollution.

How much do you know about Greta Thunberg? Discover the details you want to know about this inspiring young activist. You’ll learn about the childhood, challenges, and accomplishments of this young leader in the fight against climate change.

How much do you know about Ida B. Wells? Find out the facts you need to know about this journalist and activist. You’ll learn about the early life, challenges, and major accomplishments of this important American.

It's March 2, 1955, and an ordinary 15-year-old girl from Montgomery, Alabama is about to do something extraordinary. When a white bus driver orders Claudette Colvin to give up her seat for a white passenger, she refuses to move. After Claudette is arrested, her brave actions help inspire Civil Rights leaders organize bus boycotts and perform similar acts to defy segregation laws.