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COURAGE

COURAGE

Words and portraits of notable people who have exemplified bravery through specific acts of courage. by Michael Collopy Index

THE !"TH DALAI LAMA [013] — NELSON MANDELA [014] — VANDANA

SHIVA [016] — ADOLFO PÉREZ ES#UIVEL [019] — WANGARI MAATHAI [020]

— KOFI ANNAN [023] — LEYMAH GBOWEE [024] — DOROTHY HEIGHT

[027] — RIGOBERTA MENCHÚ TUM [030] — HELLEN NKURAIYA [033] —

JIM LOVELL [035] — NORMAN BORLAUG [036] — MAGGIE DOYNE [039]

— MARTÍN VON HILDEBRAND [041] — MALALA YOUSAFZAI [042] —

MOTHER TERESA [045] — INGRID BETANCOURT [048] — JOHN LEWIS

[050] — F.W. DE KLERK [052] — RAVI SHANKAR [054] — SHIRIN EBADI

[056] — BISHOP CARLOS FILIPE XIMENES BELO [058] — MOHAMED

ELBARADEI [060] — BARACK OBAMA [062] — TAWAKKOL KARMAN

[066] — ELLEN JOHNSON SIRLEAF [069] — ANNIE LENNOX [070] — JOHN

HUME [073] — JIMMY CARTER [074] — KAILASH SATYARTHI [076] — MATT

DAMON [078] — BONO [081] — ARCHBISHOP DESMOND TUTU [083] —

BOB GELDOF [084] — KIM DAE$JUNG [087] — ELIE WIESEL [088] — BETTY

WILLIAMS [092] — CHAYANNE [095] — MUHAMMAD YUNUS [097] —

MAYA ANGELOU [098] — DOLORES HUERTA [100] — EVE ENSLER [102]

— PETER GABRIEL [104] — HERBIE HANCOCK [106] — #UINCY JONES

[108] — CRAIG AND MARC KIELBURGER [111] — GEORGE SHULTZ [112] —

LOUIS ZAMPERINI [114] — DAVID TRIMBLE [117] — CLARENCE B. JONES

[118] — ANDREW YOUNG [121] — CHIEF ARVOL LOOKING HORSE [123] Place --- XXXX ROBERT BALLARD [124] — BOB DYLAN [126] — AL GORE [128] — MARTÍN

BURT [132] — SALMAN RUSHDIE [135] — RAJENDRA PACHAURI [137] —

SALMAN KHAN [139] — MIKHAIL GORBACHEV [140] — JOHN GLENN [142]

— SHIMON PERES [144] — TONI MORRISON [147] — SIDNEY POITIER [149] —

AMARTYA SEN [150] — JOSÉ RAMOS$HORTA [153] — GEORGE H.W. BUSH

[155] — GRO HARLEM BRUNDTLAND [156] — JUANES [158] — RUBY BRIDGES

[160] — GLORIA STEINEM [162] — MADELEINE ALBRIGHT [165] — JOCKIN

ARPUTHAM [166] — ARIANNA HUFFINGTON [168] — MARY ROBINSON

[170] — GRAÇA MACHEL [172] — NEIL ARMSTRONG [174] — SIR RICHARD

BRANSON [178] — JANE GOODALL [180] — CLINT HILL [182] — DOROTHY

COTTON [184] — SULLY SULLENBERGER [187] — IMMACULEE ILIBAGIZA

[188] — ZAINAB SALBI [190] — BILLIE JEAN KING [192] — MICHAEL PHELPS

[194] — DIANA NYAD [198] — PAUL FARMER [200] — BRYAN STEVENSON [203]

— BOB WOODWARD [205] — ANN COTTON [206] — BILL DRAYTON [208]

— MA JUN [210] — GREG BOYLE s.j. [212] — SCOTT KELLY [215] — BUNKER

ROY [218] — WENDY KOPP [220] — JUAN MANUEL SANTOS [222] — SAKENA

YACOOBI [225] — WILLIE MAYS [226] — OPRAH WINFREY [228] — FR. TOM

UZHUNNALIL [230] — REV. BILLY KYLES [232] — WAEL ABBAS [235] —

ODETTA [236] — GRETA THUNBERG [238] — AMITABHA SADANGI [240]

— DANIEL ELLSBERG [242] — GARY WHITE [244] — POPE FRANCIS [246] Place --- XXXX Preface

Throughout most of my photographic career, I have been interested in creating portrait photographs of notable people, particularly those who have exemplified bravery in their lives through specific acts of courage. In the process of contemplating these images, several questions emerged for me: How do we as a people and how do we individually define courage? In fact, what exactly is courage? Can a person be thought of as courageous through a singular act or must courage be shown more than once, even sustained throughout a lifetime? And, what does it take? What character traits are present for a person to be courageous? Courage can be defined in many ways. It can be characterized as strength, a strong will and a feeling of confidence and bravery, often by accepting a significant personal risk or sacrifice. It also can be demonstrated by overcoming one’s fear, facing head on a danger or difficulty. Courage can involve a generous heart or noble spirit that fearlessly serves others possessing sometimes at great risk to one’s own well-being. My questions and journey of exploring the theme of courage set me on a path that led me to the people included in this book: They are pioneers, icons, artists, explorers, activists and laureates. This volume is a salute to the brave, often unsung person or persons, who live among us in our communities. Each one is unique. And none is comparable to the other. My years-long search was thought –provoking and challenging. It revealed a collective thread of humanity possessing and illuminating certain virtues. These qualities o#ered an array of perspectives when seen through a lens focused on courage and how it is defined. There seemed to be obvious choices and also some which were controversial. Some seemed to define courage at one point in their lives, only to negate their valor later in contradictory acts or perhaps through a significant lack of action. However, this volume only serves to explore the topic of courage, it might or might not answer or define it. Ultimately you and every other reader will decide—What does courage mean to you? How do you define it? 009

The great poet Dr. Maya Angelou said, “Courage is the most important of all the virtues because without it, you cannot practice any of the other virtues consistently.” In my experience with those who grace these pages, none sees himself or herself as a hero, they see themselves as ordinary people. Neil Armstrong told me that he did not think of his achievement as first man on the moon as being a result of personal accomplishment but simply as a matter of circumstance. I hope this book will provide an open forum to inspire you to recognize not only the courage in the individuals profiled but also in your own heart and life. Courage can take on multi-layers so that the courageous acts are often not easily seen or immediately recognized. Courage is not limited to grand or bold acts; it is often manifested in the small steps, the way forward, which frequently involves blind trust and faith and an unknown outcome. All of us are on this road together, which is filled with happiness and hardship, intertwined in and throughout our lives. This is, of course, what binds us together even though sometimes it is difficult to remember that striking commonality. Perhaps it is in recognizing and accepting human failings, hardships, sorrows and the brokenness of others that we discover and accept our own brokenness. This revelation of our common humanity will bring us together in kinship and solidarity, creating the foundation that can contain and sustain acts of courage. Uniting rather than dividing, extinguishing hatred and division, and in the ultimate act of courage, opening up the paths of peace. In these days of division, we seem to have forgotten that we belong to each other. When we bring wholeness and peace to each other with compassion and tolerance, we will begin to provide the essential hope we all need for and in our humanity. And, when we do that, perhaps we can then begin to answer the question: What is courage?

Michael Collopy India — 2010 013 The 14th Dalai Lama

“Be kind whenever possible. It is always possible.” 014 Nelson Mandela

“I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear.” Seattle, Washington — 1999

033 Hellen Nkuraiya San Carlos, California — 2009

“Don’t exchange girls for cows; give them an education instead.” 042 Malala Yousafzai

“One child, one teacher, one pen and one book can change the world.” Oxford, England — 2014 050 John Lewis

“You cannot be afraid to speak up and speak out for what you believe. You have to have courage, raw courage.”

The White House, Washington, D.C. — 2011

100 Dolores Huerta Bakersfield, California — 2014

“Honor the hands that harvest your crops.”

“We criticize and separate ourselves from the process. We’ve got to jump right in there with both feet.”

142 John Glenn

“If there is one thing I’ve known in my years on this planet, it’s that the happiest and most fulfilled people I’ve know are those who devoted themselves to something bi$er and more profound than merely their own self-interest.” Bakersfield, California — 1996 180 Jane Goodall Beverly Hills, California — 2009

“Let us develop respect for all living things. Let us try to replace violence and intolerance with understanding and compassion. And love.”

203 Bryan Stevenson Santa Clara, California — 2016

“Somebody has to stand when other people are sitting. Somebody has to speak when other people are quiet.” 238 Greta Thunberg Los Angeles, California— 2019

“You must not gamble your children’s future on the flip of a coin. Instead, you must unite behind the science. You must take action. You must do the impossible. Because giving up can never ever be an option.”