History is often written by ordinary people dedicated to a cause in the pursuit of peace and justice. Israel’s reign of terror over Palestine since the 7 October attack by Hamas has seen the rise to prominence of several such activists using social media to highlight the graphic truth of the horrific suffering there.
Railing against the state propaganda machines, people such as Motaz Azaiza, Bisan Owda, Plestia Alaqad, Hind Khoudary and the veteran journalist Wael al-Dahdouh have brought shocking, heart-rending images straight to our phones. Pictures of weeping parents kneeling over the tiny, bloodied corpses of children have stirred up deep anger against Hamas, the Israeli government and its prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, and at the complicity of the US, UK and EU governments.
Politicians may dominate the narrative, as they gaslight the world with fake facts, but the voices of activists, amplified through social media, are making an indelible mark.
In the broader context of this fight, it is important to remember racism and apartheid’s origins in imperialism, colonialism and slavery, and to recognise the crucial contributions and indomitable spirits of those activists who fought the dehumanising forces that gave birth to such inequality.
Many remarkable individuals have shed light on pervasive darkness. Giants of history such as Marcus Garvey, a Caribbean trailblazer who advocated for pan-Africanism and mobilised a global movement that instilled solidarity and pride within the black community.
Rosa Parks played a pivotal role in the civil rights movement by sparking the Montgomery bus boycott in 1955. Her act of resistance against segregation symbolised the quiet strength that fuelled the broader movement. Martin Luther King’s relentless activism of nonviolence was manifested through protests and marches and civil disobedience. Malcolm X, a charismatic and uncompromising figure, rose to prominence advocating black empowerment and self-defence, inspiring a new generation to challenge the status quo.
Stokely Carmichael, AKA Kwame Ture, a Trinidadian who became a leading figure in the Black Power movement, emphasised the need for political and economic self-sufficiency. Carmichael’s activism sought to redefine black identity, urging the community to embrace their heritage with pride