In June of 1882, a 30-year-old shoemaker by the name of Homer Plessy of New Orleans led a revolution that aimed to overturn Jim Crow segregation laws.

Plessy, who was said to be 1/8 black, entered the white’s only car while on a train. When asked to move to the colored car, Plessy refused. Following his arrest, a group of citizens used his arrest to fight Jim Crow segregation laws. Facing defeat at every turn, the battle raged on all the way up to the Supreme Court in the 1896 case, Plessy v. Ferguson.

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Harriet Tubman is one of the greatest freedom fighters to exist. Born a slave, Tubman committed to not only freeing herself, but she created a system that would revolutionize slavery and the people who benefited from it most, The Underground Railroad. She was known as “The Moses of her people,” because she guided them to freedom. Tubman was laid to rest with military honors. Her commitment to the advancement of freedom is highly respected and noted in history.

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Isabella Baumfree was born into slavery in the late 18th century. Despite this, she’d go on to prove that enslavement was only a state of mind. She escaped slavery and landed in New York, where she changed her name to Sojourner Truth. Truth committed to eradicating racial and gender injustice. Her commitment to ending slavery and ensuring women had equal rights is why she is a feminist icon.

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Robert Smalls was born into slavery and pushed into fighting for the Confederacy during the Civil War. However, at the age of 23, he took a chance to not only free him and his family, but those who vowed to step up and fight against the Confederacy alongside him. While on the ship named The Planter, Smalls and company anchored the boat, collected their families, and took a brave sail towards freedom. His innovative thinking and fearless hunger for freedom would pay off in a big way. Today, we celebrate him as one of the most heroic slaves of the Civil War.

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Shirley Chisholm is a political icon who paved the way for politics as we know it today. During her seven terms as the first black woman to serve in congress, Chisholm set her sights on challenging the system. Unsurprisingly, her tenacity made her a force to be reckoned with. She sought the presidential nomination in 1972, and her mere presence on the campaign trail was a victory for minorities in politics.

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