Humaneness

This series of messages look at individuals who exhibited extraordinary contributions to how we treat others humanely.

    • Emma Lazarus

      Emma Lazarus was born in New York City in 1849. Her family was Sephardic Jewish Americans who became quite wealthy doing sugar refining. Emma was a seventh-generation American of immigrants of Portuguese heritage. At an early age, Emma began writing poetry. She had...

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    • Lessons from Foot Soaking

      Larry Adams was about to commit suicide by jumping onto the tracks of an oncoming subway. Suddenly a woman who he did not know walked up to him, put her arm around his shoulder, and said: “Come walk with me.” She took him to a clinic she ran on Pine Street in Boston....

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    • Reparation Struggles

      Callie (Guy) House was born in 1861 as a slave in Tennessee. She was freed by the Emancipation Proclamation. At age 22, she married and had six children. Her husband died early and she needed to find work as a washerwoman to support her family. At the conclusion of...

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    • Removing Poverty Conditions

      Elena (Duran) Miranda was born in Mexico and was a psychologist. When she married, she moved to Argentina with her husband. She had a comfortable lifestyle. When she was invited to visit a tourist destination for skiers and hikers, she found both a challenge and a...

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    • Mother Teresa of Soldiers

      Margy Reed was born in Butte Montana. She was destined for an entertainment career from the time she first appeared in Vaudeville at the age of 3. While she spent her life on stage, she was also trained as a nurse’s assistant – a skill that she would put to good use....

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    • Fighter for Human Rights

      Joseph Rainey was born into a slave family in South Carolina. His father was a barber who used the money he earned to buy his family out of slavery. Since African Americans were not allowed to go to school, Joseph had no formal education. He learned how to barber from...

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    • My Humane Lady

      We know Audrey Hepburn as one of the most enduring actresses of all time. But she was a hidden hero for her humanitarian efforts. She grew up under Nazi occupation and was grateful for the international aid that kept her family alive. She later narrated two radio...

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    • Author and Humanitarian

      Pearl (Sydenstricker) Buck was born in Hillsboro, WV, to Presbyterian missionaries. When she was 5 months old, her parents returned to China for their missionary work. Pearl spent most of her young life in China. Pearl returned to the U.S. to attend college. Pearl...

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    • Opening the World for those Who Can’t See

      Louis Braille was born in France. When he was three years old, he was playing with his father’s tools. A tool he was using slipped and punctured one of his eyes. He lost sight in his eye despite efforts to repair the damage. During his fifth year, he lost sight in his...

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    • Humanitarian Principles – II

      Jonathan Letterman was born in Canonsburg, PA as the son of a surgeon, and was destined to have a medical career. When he graduated from medical school, he took a position with the Army as an Assistant Surgeon. During most of his early career with the Army, he was...

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