Princess Diana (1961-1997). Portrait by Jon Bush, Massachusetts.

“Carry out a random act of kindness, with no expectation of reward, safe in the knowledge that one day someone might do the same for you.”

—Diana, Princess of Wales (1961-1997). She was a member of the British Royal Family and mother of Prince William and Prince Harry. Her kindness, activism and position made her an international icon.

Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg

Ruth Bader Ginsburg (1933-2020) served as an associate justice of the U. S. Supreme Court for 27 years. She was appointed by President Clinton and became the second woman to serve in this important judicial capacity after Sandra Day O’Connor. Justice Ginsburg was a well-known champion of gender equality and women’s rights. She died on September 18th, 2020, at the age of 87, after her battle with pancreatic cancer. You might like to watch RBG (2018), a documentary about her life. 

Rosa Parks (Feb. 4, 1913 – Oct. 24, 2005)

Dr. Jean Moule (sitting next to Rosa’s statue outside the Eugene LTD Bus Station, above) writes in her Skipping Stones magazine (April – May 2015) column, “Rosa Parks (Feb. 4, 1913 – Oct. 24, 2005) has become a symbol of the Civil Rights Movement and an international icon. She is an image of one lone person taking a stance that made a very big difference. She was sitting in a part of the bus that allowed Colored (African American) people unless it was needed for a White rider. When she was asked to move back to make room for a White passenger she would not. Rosa was 42 years old at the time and she was no more tired than anyone would be after a long day of work.

Rosa said, “I did not want to be mistreated, I did not want to be deprived of a seat that I had paid for. It was just time… there was opportunity for me to take a stand to express the way I felt about being treated in that manner. I had not planned to get arrested. I had plenty to do without having to end up in jail. But when I had to face that decision, I didn’t hesitate to do so because I felt that we had endured that too long. The more we gave in, the more we complied with that kind of treatment, the more oppressive it became.”

You can read Professor Jean Moule’s Nana Jean Columns in her latest book, Seeking Warmth and Light. FMI moulej@oregonstate.edu.