John Lewis was born the son of sharecroppers, was one of the 13 original Freedom Riders, became the youngest of the “Big Six” leaders of the civil rights movement and coordinated students’ efforts to register black voters across the South. Lewis became nationally known during his prominent role in the Selma to Montgomery marches and exemplifies a true Chords of Courage hero.

Students, friends and family gathered backpacks filled with books, snacks and toiletries that went to unaccompanied minors, some detained, awaiting INS immigration hearings. This one song touched hundreds of people.
Cesar Chavez meets the Chords of Courage song subject criteria because he suffered great prejudice and unfair pay as a child and teen as a member of a migrant farm working family. When he became an adult, he chose to STEP UP! and help migrant farm workers who suffered the same plight his family had by founding the UFW, the United Farm Workers.

In the Social Studies curriculum, students are learning about Civil Rights Era. The group researched Civil Rights leaders, and decided to write their song about Odetta, who is considered the voice of the Civil Rights Era. Their song, “Singing with Odetta,” tells the story of discrimination she faced as a teenager and her response to it. They performed it for the whole sixth grade, to robust applause. Students were so inspired by Odetta, they wanted to start an anti-bullying campaign at their school.
The prejudice Odetta suffered as a child lead her to choose to spread her message through song, across the country, promoting change and making her a Chords of Courage qualified song subject.

Her experience suffering extreme discrimination lead her to STEP UP and speak out, at great risk to herself, to effect change for African Americans in the United States. She continued to be a civil rights leader until the end of her life. Rosa Parks is a wonderful Chords of Courage song subject.

The case involved a 14-year-old boy, Jerry Gault, from the other side of the tracks, who was sentenced to seven years in a juvenile detention center for making a lewd phone call. He didn’t have the right to see or call his parents, the right to counsel and no witnesses were called prior to sentencing. It turns out he wasn’t even the child who made that call. With his mother’s love and support, the ball started rolling to change juvenile justice laws in the United States. To make this happen, many people had to STEP UP! to effect this change. Chords of Courage is proud to present this story of tragedy to triumph that helps so many.

upporters of Malala Yousafzai in Pakistan reacted with disappointment to the decision by the Nobel committee not to award her the peace prize .

Becoming a Muslim, he spoke out against the Vietnam War and refused to be drafted based on religious beliefs causing great detriment to his career. He was willing to put on the line all that he’d achieved,  including becoming Heavyweight Champion of the World, for a cause in which he greatly believed. Indeed, he was very controversial and his career suffered greatly. Still his act of STEPPING UP! gave voice to the angst so many had about racial discrimination and the Vietnam War making Muhammed Ali a Chords of Courage song subject.

She was molested during her childhood and early teens and became pregnant at 14 though her son died in infancy. Yet through all this tragedy, she found the strength to not only improve her life but those of so many who also suffer in our country and around the world becoming a talk show host, actress, producer and philanthropist. She is often praised for overcoming adversity to become a benefactor to others making Oprah Winfrey a wonderful Chords of Courage song subject.