Beyond protecting and defending, these individuals empowered. They gave underrepresented minorities a foothold in Silicon Valley and refugees one in the Olympics. They showcased diverse immigrant fare on France’s culinary scene. They identified unlikely channels—in Guinean beauty salons and on Sesame Street—for building healthier, more tolerant societies. In cases when they could not empower, these people fought with words, demanding justice for victims of the Islamic State’s sexual violence and for Americans who simply want a glass of clean drinking water.
