I say niche, because otherwise we're all going to say Lenin. I'm interested to learn about some new historical figures.
But also...
Sorry to be a ghoul. I've baited you. I'll be honest, I'm applying for an internship scheme at an archive, and they've asked me :
'name a change maker who has inspired you... how you would reach 18-24 year olds on TikTok with their story?'
It's a youth engagement in archive material sort of thing. Their other posts are stuff like Chappell Roan's medieval VMA performance superimposed over a piece of tapestry from their archives.
Another is 'looking for a man in finance? 😀 - here's Eggwald Boggington, the so and so rich eccentric guy from our archives.
I'm thinking of choosing Thomas Sankara. But I'd like to hear your suggestions - whether it's related to my post, or not!
The first "niche changemaker" off the top of my head is William Stokoe, a linguist whose work with ASL led to the widespread recognition of sign languages as real, full-fledged, natural languages. This played a crucial role in Deaf education transitioning away from the oral method during the Civil Rights era, and has had huge impacts on Deaf culture and accessibility in general.