Three Examples Of Bravery

Great movements start with bravery, whether or not it is for good. Bravery, as defined by Merriam Webster is “the quality that allows someone to do things that are dangerous or frightening : the quality or state of being brave.” This quality can be seen in nearly all reformists throughout recorded history. Three notable reformists who demonstrate that quality are Dr. King who gave speeches for black equality, Diane Nash, who organized protests for black equality, and Qutb who inspired the future leaders of Al-Qaeda. Throughout the last century there have been repeated examples of reformists using bravery and courage to enact change. Bravery is an important trait for social reform as seen in Martin Luther King, Diane Nash, and Sayyid Qutb.
The reason this promotes and is dependent on bravery is because “we must not allow our creative protest to degenerate into physical violence. Again and again, we must rise to the majestic heights of meeting physical force with soul force” (King). It takes an extreme amount of courage to face police brutality and attack dogs without fighting back, which is exactly what King is telling his followers to do. Just before King gave this memorable speech, reports were coming in about police in southern states using water hoses and attack dogs on blacks for no justifiable reason, without regard for basic human rights. The second example of bravery in search of social change is the story of Diane Judith Nash (1938- ). All throughout her young adult life she put herself in danger in order to promote awareness about social inequality. She would organize transit protests and sit-ins but eventually the police charged her with up to 2½ years in jail while she was already 6 months pregnant. But she got out of that charge and continued organizing and participating in protests. This required a lot of bravery as Nash was pregnant while still protesting, protests that in the past have been known to be targeted by the