In 1955, Rosa Parks became a powerful symbol for the American Civil Rights Movement when she refused to give up her seat on the bus to a white passenger. Her refusal flouted the strict Alabama segregation laws and signalled to the authorities that Parks was taking a stand – or seat – against institutionalised racism. Her arrest for civil disobedience sparked a massive protest of the bus system and Parks emerged as one of the movements most important political activists. She remained a staunch campaigner for racial equality until her death in 2005.
Few could have predicted that when 15-year-old Greta Thunberg began her school climate strike outside the Swedish Parliament in 2018, it would lead to worldwide protests. Regardless of whether you agree with Thunberg’s brand of activism, few can deny her influence in elevating the discourse on climate change. Today she is regarded as a symbol of Youth empowerment and the voice of a movement that forced world leaders to finally take the climate threat seriously. It was a goal researchers and activists had been working towards for decades.
