People whose stories touched you or whom you identify with

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For me:

Richard Cartwright-- there's an account his mother wrote of his final days right up to days after his execution, also Uncenored from Death Row where he wrote from Death Watch at one point, also stuff about him on the Canadian Coalition Against the Death Penalty website and forums.
Stanley Tookie Williams-- we watched a lot of the movie Redemption in world issues class in grade 12 and it made me so mad.

Before Stanley Williams was executed evidence of his innocence was unearthed. He died due to bureaucratic inflexibility.

After Richard Cartwright was executed, evidence of his innocence was unearthed.


And these ones below are my role models:


Raquel Seaborn-- student at the Judge Rotenberg Center. Her mother wrote a letter to the Judge Rotenberg Center saying it was good for people with disabilities and that her daughter improved there. However, when reporter Jennifer Gonnerman went there to investigate, Raquel held up a piece of paper that said HELP US, having to discreetly avoid staff and cameras. Jennifer Gonnerman approached her and she told her of some bad things that went on there.

Mala Zimetbaum
Jeremy Glick
Todd Beamer
Tom Burnett
Mark Bingham
Paul Rusesabagina
Roza Robota, Ala Gertner, Estusia Wajcblum, Regina Safirslajn, Marta Bindiger, Hana Wajclum (Anna Heilman), Hadassa Zlotnicka, Ruzia Meth, Antichka-- smuggled gunpowder from the factory where they worked to the crematory workers at Auschwitz so that they could blow up the crematory ovens and prevent further gassings
Anastasia Rebecca DeSousa-- 2006 Montreal school shooting victim


Others I identify with:

Randle Patrick McMurphy
Elizabeth Torlakson Also http://www.jamestorlakson.org
Natascha Kampusch
Harry Potter
Sirius Black
Amanda Bien-- behavior modification injustice
Tracy DeCarlo-- my mother wasn't as bad as her but acted the same way a lot, jsut not as obvious and severe
Leslie Mahaffy-- had no vocabulary to express the need to have a life or be with her friends, and then she got murdered, maybe her mistake. Maybe she was peer pressured, I dont know.
Also the fictional little girl named Elisabeth in Caroline B. Cooney's book Flash Fire.

Ernest Shackleton (1874-1922), the Antarctic explorer. His only wish in life was to reach the South Pole, and he never did, but he never gave up trying.

I also identify with Tova Friedman Separate link--->(Tola Grossman), Frieda (Fryda) Tenenbaum, and Rachel Hyams (Rutka Greenspan), and Frieda's cousin Rena Chernoff (Renia Marguilies), all child Auschwitz survivors. I enjoyed reading the stories of Tova, Frieda and Rachel in their book Kinderlagerand news articles, and Rachel lived in Montreal just like I did for years as a fan of them (is that the wrong word or phrase?) and I never bothered to look her up in the phone book; I dunno why. Then Rena's story online in several places.

Roger Bannister

Growing up, he had a difficult life. He was made fun of in school for being smart and was criticized by less studious classmates. He won a measure of respect by winning a school race. From then on, running became his ticket to acceptance by others and resulted in him making friendships that have lasted over 50 years.

Roger Bannister represents someone who was different and succeeded in all areas of his life.

Bernard Moitessier

He was about to win the 1968 golden globe race by sailing around the world alone, nonstop. But instead of sailing into port and receiving his $5000 price he just continued to sail. Somewhere, maybe in the documentary about the race i heard that he wrote in his journal that he couldn't face the crowd he knew would be at the docks.

Heather Kuzmich really motivated me, as she went through the same kind of bullying I did, but she didn't let it affect her goals and dreams.

Anne Frank, of course.


Also, this girl I identify with, and her story scares me to death: she was 19, and still at the Judge Rotenberg Center against her will. She was terrified she would be there past her 21st birhday. She was depressed and all the JRC did was make it worse with their unsympathetic behavioral BS. They took away privileges and punished her when she acted depressed, said she was depressed, whatever. She was not allowed to tell anyone about her feelings/problems, they didn't give her any counseling, no or not enough antidepressants, nothing. They punished her when she tried to escape or kill herself. That makes me want to kill Matthew Israel, and I won't feel safe until he's dead.