Taking Action for Civil and Political Rights

Taking Action for Civil and Political Rights — page 1
INTRODUCTION CIVIL AND POLITICAL ACTIVISM A young girl asks her state’s governor to talk about voter preregistration for teenagers Three friends turn an Internet hashtag into a worldwide call for the humane treatment of African Americans A young man leads a massive pro-democracy protest in the streets of Hong Kong A US government computer contractor risks his life to expose government spying Concerned citizens might take action to protest unfair practices of governments and companies All these people are civil or political activists Regardless of their age or background each one of them took a stand Some had powerful tools to help them such as the computer contractor with access to top-secret information Others had little more than their own voices But they all made a difference because each noticed a problem and took action Whether the problems were related to voting rights equality working conditions or free speech and information these people became activists because they wanted to make a change in their world 4