Sylvia Rivera by Leeddoo M.

There are many people in the world in which you could admire or look up to—maybe a big celebrity/content creator, or someone who made a difference in society. If you look closely and do research, many of them wouldn’t be where they are now if not for the challenges they might’ve overcame in their pasts. Even now, people in general had, or currently are, faced with difficult problems in their lives that they must overcome. The way people think and the choices they make could affect how exactly they react and what actions they take in these situations. There are those who take their adversity and use it to motivate them to lead a better life, leaping over obstacles in victory. Then, there are those who let these obstacles stop them in doing much with their lives. Someone who had managed to overcome adversity is Sylvia Rivera. She managed to make a big difference in society despite the fact she had to come face to face with adversity at a young age.  

To begin with, Sylvia Rivera had a difficult early life. According to womenshistory.org, she was born in New York City to a father from Puerto Rico and a mother from Venezuela. Rivera was assigned a male at birth. Her dad was absent for her whole life and her mother had died by suicide when Rivera was just three. Later on, she would then be raised by her grandmother due to these sorrowful circumstances. At a young age, she began to experiment with makeup and clothing. She would often get beaten for doing so and after being attacked at a school playground in the 6th grade (getting suspended afterwards), ran away from home at age 11. She then sadly became a victim of sexual exploitation in the vicinity of 42nd street. Despite this harsh beginning, not once did Rivera allow her struggles to stop her from speaking out for people and expressing herself for who she was.  

Following that, Rivera had met someone who became like a motherly figure for her; the woman’s name was Marsha P. Johnson. Both of them together participated in the Stonewall Inn Uprising. The uprising was due to the fact New York City police raided Stonewall Inn, a gay club in New York City. As told by slrp.org, Rivera fought hard against the exclusion against transgender people, especially those of color, from larger movements of gay rights. Despite the discrimination most cisgender and straight people had against the LGBTQIA+ community, and the exclusion said community had, Rivera never once stopped trying to gain the inclusion and rights she and many others deserved.  

To conclude, even though Sylvia Rivera’s life was full of hardships and discrimination, she was still quite the successful woman. She didn’t let other’s opinions stop her from being who she is, nor did they stop her from speaking out for the rights of many. Her legacy still lives on with the Sylvia Rivera Law Project. It works giving all people “the freedom to self-determine their gender identity and expression, regardless of income or race, and without facing harassment, discrimination, or violence.” She had managed to become an inspiration for so many with her persistence. She was a remarkable activist and an overall remarkable woman who managed to make an impact.

Martin Luther King by Ashley L.

 

   What is adversity? Adversity is when you overcome obstacles or difficult things in life. One of the people who faced adversity was Martin Luther King. First off, he had been arrested for protesting. He also had received threats and was physically attacked. In addition, he had fought against segregation. Martin Luther King was a strong calm person who faced adversity.

     To begin with, King had been arrested for protesting several times. He had been protesting for equality between colored and white people. His arrests weren’t reasonable since his protests weren’t violent. Furthermore, King was part of a non-violent protest which he led among with other people. One of the reasons he got arrested could have been because of his skin color; a lot of people at the time were racist. In https://novaonline.nvcc.edu it says, “he was arrested over twenty times for protesting.” You’d have to have a lot of patience and determination to keep protesting after being arrested so many times for it. Although there were setbacks King didn’t give up on fighting for equality.

     In addition, Martin had received threatening phone calls. These calls were not only towards him, but also toward his family. You’ll also be surprised to learn that he was violently attacked! Not to mention people had tried to damage and destroy his property. In https://novaonline.nvcc.edu it says “He received threatening phone calls, his home was bombed and set afire, and he was even stabbed.” Imagine how difficult this was for him. King went through a lot and was a brave man. It is astonishing to find out how cruel people were to him.

     Lastly, he had dealt with and fought against segregation. When he was fifteen, he had attended a segregated public high school. He had also been shocked when he discovered that in the North black and white people went to the same churches. He had never seen this since in the South segregation was very common opposed to the North. In addition, he had “come to Los Angeles numerous times before to join ‘black Angelenos’ struggle against police brutality and schools and housing segregation.” In https://www.nobelprize.org it is stated “Martin Luther attended segregated public schools in Georgia, graduating high school at the age of fifteen.” Martin had attended a segregated high school which was what he fought against later in the future. Martin’s contribution to getting rid of segregation created history.

     To conclude, Martin Luther King did indeed face adversity. He was arrested several times for protesting. He also received threatening phone calls, was physically attacked, and his home was bombed and set afire. In addition, he had dealt and fought against segregation. Martin Luther King was an inspiring, brave person who overcame a lot of obstacles.