A speech on the radio. A high college literature class. A promise made to a mother.

Activism begins in small methods and in unexpected places. In this motivating publication, over forty activists from Billie Jean Ruler to Bernie Sanders and Angela Davis to Edward Snowden recount the encounters that sparked their journeys and share the values that keep them going. They are citizens who met challenge with action. Their visions for peace, equality, and justice have reshaped American society-from voting to reproductive rights, and from the environment to the economy.