PFC James Anderson,USMC Awarded the Medal of Honor for Heroism in Vietnam His platoon came under heavy enemy fire. During the ensuing firefight, an enemy grenade landed near PFC Anderson and a number of other Marines. PFC Anderson pulled the grenade to his chest, curled around it, and absorbed the majority of the blast with his body, heroically saving the lives of the Marines around him at the cost of his own. Honored by Austin Adams Fannie Lou Hamer “Never to forget where we came from and always praise the bridges that carried us over.” Honored by Angie Cook Malcolm X “You're not to be so blind with patriotism that you can't face reality. Wrong is wrong, no matter who does it or says it.” Honored by Keland Johnson Harriet Tubman “I freed thousands of slaves, and could have freed thousands more, if they had known they were slaves.” Honored by Jalyn Scott Coretta Scott King “Hate is too great a burden to bear. It injures the hater more than it injures the hated.” Honored by Harlie Grove Ida B. Wells Newspaper Owner and Publisher who Exposed the Horrors of Lynchings in the 1860’s “The way to right wrongs is to turn the light of truth upon them.” Honored by Sharon Byrd Carla Hunter Limbaugh, “Tahtee” “Never give up on people. Always give them a second chance. God has a plan for everyone.” Honored by Kaitlyn Grace Callaway Maya Angelou “There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.” Honored by Brandon Batemen Cheryl I. Harris UCLA Law School, Critical Race Studies Director “The ideological and rhetorical move [in the 1680’s] from ‘slave’ and ‘free’ to ‘Black’ and ‘White’ as polar constructs marked an important step in the social construction of race.” Honored by Kathie Wright Rosa Parks “You must never be fearful about what you are doing when it is right.” Honored by Gabriella Mendoza Susie King Taylor Published a Memoir of her Wartime Experiences in 1902 “Justice, we ask, to be citizens of these United States, where so many of our people have shed their blood with their white comrades, that the stars and stripes should never be polluted.” Honored by Leleyna Mendoza Medha Patkar Environmental and Civil Rights Activist “We are basically fighting this battle for an alternative economic and political perspective against the present development paradigm, which is being imposed on the people and the market.” See the film, A Threat to Living Communities, Global Oneness Project, 2006-2013. Honored by Dr. Nirmala Chandrasekharan Renne Sullines “There are not enough words in the world to express how grateful I am for this woman. She helps those who are ready for a future (including me), and she goes out of her way to make sure we have a voice. She was my mentor throughout high school, and she helped me see the world from a different perspective.” Honored by Keila Carrillo Ella Fitzgerald “It isn't where you came from; it's where you're going that counts.” Honored by Brenna Murray Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. “Life's most persistent and urgent question is, ‘What are you doing for others?’ ” Honored by Summer Valenzuela George Washington Carver “Education is the key to unlock the golden door of freedom.” Honored by Kaylee Fields My Dad and Grandmother “Be strong and never give up your dreams; these have to be your focus.” Honored by Julia Goncalves Lieutenant Jeremy Hunt “Don’t just tolerate cultural differences; celebrate them. Many young soldiers had never met someone of a different race before enlisting. They support and depend on each other with maturity and professionalism. We expect it from them. So why do we expect so little from our country as a whole? We can do better.” Honored by Jacob Hill Martin Luther King, Jr. “Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.” Honored by Shahir Rai Kim Whittwer “My mother has worked as an early childhood development teacher for over eleven years because she knows those first years are crucial and she can make the biggest impact. She is amazing.” Honored by Sarah Christensen Jackie Robbins “A life is not important except in the impact it has on other lives.” Honored by Hailey Kahrs Dr. William Butler The First Doctor of African-American Descent in Abilene Honored by John Caraway Eugenia Pickard In 1953, Gave a Gift of $5,000 in her Will for the Library at the Woodson High School in Abilene, the Segregated, Black High School Honored by John Caraway Jackie Robinson “Life is not a spectator sport. If you're going to spend your whole life in the grandstand just watching what goes on, in my opinion you're wasting your life.” Honored by Latisha Walker Lieutenant John Fox Received the Medal of Honor in 1997 for Actions during World War II His gallant and courageous actions, at the supreme sacrifice of his own life, contributed greatly to delaying the enemy advance until other infantry and artillery units could reorganize to repel the attack. His extraordinary valorous actions were in keeping with the most cherished traditions of military service. Honored by Randy Golson Jacqueline Amisi “She broke the boundaries of chauvinism in a male dominated environment. She is respected and treated equally by the men because of her hard work and drive.” Honored by her Daughter, Cynthia Otieno Serena Williams “I decided I can't pay a person to rewind time, so I may as well get over it.” Honored by Tori Englerth Harriet Beecher Stowe “The longest way must have its close - the gloomiest night will wear on to a morning.” Honored by Noel Refamonte Marsha 'Pay It No Mind' Johnson Drag Queen Credited with Instigating the Stonewall Riots, the Catalyst for the Gay Rights Movement, and Helping Homeless Transgender Youth and Supporting Other LGBTQA Rights Issues Honored by Kari Montoya Michael Jordan “Talent wins games, but teamwork and intelligence wins championships.” Honored by Heric Bustamante Harriet Tubman “I looked at my hands to see if I was the same person now I was free. There was such glory over everything. The sun came up like gold through the trees and I felt like I was in heaven.” Honored by Chrystal Welch President Barak Obama “Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we've been waiting for. We are the change that we seek.” Honored by Dillon Quinn David Robinson "Your peers will respect you for your integrity and character, not your possessions.” Honored by Jacob Hill Nelson Mandela “It always seems impossible until it’s done.” Honored by Laci Jones Fannie Lou Hamer “Nobody’s free until everybody’s free.” “She was an irrepressible advocate for social justice, challenging voter suppression, state-sanctioned violence, poverty, and gender inequality.” Honored by Sheron Caton Mae Jemison “Never limit yourself because of others' limited imagination; never limit others because of your own limited imagination.” Honored by Rebecca Matthews Barak Dorothy Vaughan Hidden Figures Depicted her Story as a Mathematician at NASA “I changed what I could and what I couldn’t, I endured.” Honored by Jacob Hill Dorothy Irene Height “Progress comes from caring more about what needs to be done than about who gets the credit.” Freedom from Want Award, Presented by President Franklin Roosevelt Presented, 1944. Citizens’ Medal Award for Distinguished Service, Presented by President Ronald Reagan, 1989. Congressional Gold Medal and the Presidential Medal of Freedom, Presented by President George W. Bush, 2000. Honored by Rebecca Smith Pierre Claver Mbonimpa Burundian Human Rights Activist, Shown in this Photo from Prison for his Efforts When the opposition murdered members of his family, he said, “I forgive the people who killed my son.” Honored by Gabriella Iranshumbushije Maya Angelou “I can be changed by what happens to me. But I refuse to be reduced by it.” Honored by Katie Allen Elon Musk “Some people don’t like change, but you need to embrace change if the alternative is disaster.” Honored by Ryan Tipton Mary Jackson First Woman Engineer of African American Descent at NASA “We have to do something… to get [kids] interested in science. Sometimes they are not aware of the number of Black scientists, and don't even know of the career opportunities until it is too late." Honored by Jacob Hill Ben Carson “Success is determined not by whether or not you face obstacles, but by your reaction to them. And if you look at these obstacles as a containing fence, they become your excuse for failure. If you look at them as a hurdle, each one strengthens you for the next.” Honored by Jacob Hill Katherine Johnson Physicist and Mathematician who Calculated NASA’s Rocket Flight Trajectories “Math, It’s just there…You’re either right or you’re wrong. That’s what I like about it.” Honored by Jacob Hill Richard Overton age 111 “I am the oldest World War II veteran. I eat ice cream every night. It makes me happy.” Honored by Tucker Brown Vernon Baker Earned a Purple Heart, Bronze Star, Distinguished Service Cross, and the Congressional Medal of Honor “Treat people the way you want to be treated. Remember the mission. Set the example. Keep going.” Honored by Tucker Brown Ify Onyemelukwe “Ify is an inspiration, overcoming many obstacles as an international student who started at Cisco College earning two Associates Degrees and is now dreaming of a Masters Degree with the hope of returning to her home country and opening a school.” Honored by Beth Jackson Harriet Tubman “Twant me, 'twas the Lord.