William Wilberforce
William Wilberforce was a Christian man in the British Parliament during the late 1700s who brought hope to a dark world. He was friends with John Newton who wrote Amazing Grace, and he realized that wonderful individuals were being enslaved and dehumanized in England. So, William wrote several bills to the Parliament trying to abolish slavery. It didn’t work, but William tried and tried and tried again, until one day, slavery was abolished in England. Then, he moved on to fighting for other issues that affected people — like poverty and crime. He Persevered and did not give up.
Mary Slessor
Mary Slessor was a Scottish missionary in Nigeria. She ministered to a specific superstitious tribe who left twin babies out in the jungle to die because they believed that one of the twins was an evil spirit. Mary rescued the twins in the jungle, raising them as her own children. Eventually, the tribe realized the value of twin babies and they turned to Christ. With God’s help, Mary Overcame the darkness of dehumanization in the African tribe in Nigeria.
Corrie Ten Boom
Corrie Ten Boom was a Christian watchmaker in Holland who helped hide Jews during WWII. The Nazis dehumanized the Jews by calling them demons and dogs, and if they caught anyone helping the Jews, the people would be sent to concentration camps or be executed. But Corrie Ten Boom fought for the Humanity of the Jews, and through many struggles — including spending years in a concentration camp — she stayed close to God and eventually forgave the Nazi who forcefully beat her sister Betsy.
Harriet Tubman
Harriet Tubman was a Christian woman who was born a slave in Maryland. Her masters dehumanized her and her family because she was not recognized as a valuable human being, she was not given her human rights, and she was disregarded. One day, she decided to escape to freedom in the North, and afterwards she became part of the Underground Railroad. She rescued many human beings from slavery Emboldening them to make impacts in the world for Christ.
Martin Luther King, Jr.
Martin Luther King, Jr. was a black man who fought for equal rights for all people in the U.S. Although slavery was abolished, black people were still treated with less dignity and respect than white people. So, Martin Luther King, Jr. kept on fighting — even from a jail cell where he wrote a famous letter filled with hope. He spoke at an event and gave a famous speech called, “I Have a Dream.” Later, he was assassinated, but Martin Luther King, Jr. fought for the Humanity of blacks and Emboldened others to stand for what is right.
Lila Rose
When Lila Rose was only nine years old, she was looking through a book on her parents’ bookshelf. She flipped to a page and saw a picture of an aborted baby. Abortion is a terrible dehumanization going on in our world right now, and when Lila was fifteen, she started an organization called Live Action. Live Action is the largest pro-life organization in the world that fights abortion. Through her organization, Lila has helped many families, changed minds, and saved countless babies from being aborted while offering practical help to their mothers. Lila recognized the Humanity of unborn children and took action.
Robert Jackson
Robert Jackson was a Christian Supreme Court Justice during WWII. He was one of the few judges who ruled against the Japanese Internment Camps in the U.S., in his dissenting opinion in Korematsu. Unfortunately, the Japanese Internment Camps continued anyway because Robert was not in the majority at the time, and countless Americans of Japanese descent suffered under terrible conditions. Robert also prosecuted the Nazis in the Nuremburg Trial. Robert didn’t always win, but he Persevered. He kept on trying to do good and fight against dehumanization with hope.
Visual Tales of Hope
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