Eleanor Roosevelt - Advocate

An Advocate is one who notices the suffering of those who cannot help themselves, then uses her power and her voice to create positive change. As wife to the President of the United States, Eleanor Roosevelt transformed the office of the First Lady from a figurehead into a legitimate position of power. She focused her efforts primarily on women, children, minorities, and other members of society who needed someone to fight for them, someone to act as their voice. She joined the League of Women voters, worked with trade union women, and pressed for acknowledgment of women’s causes within the Democratic Party. She became President Roosevelt’s political representative when he was paralyzed by polio. She held her own press conferences to which only female reporters were invited. She welcomed various African Americans to the White House and greeted them with open arms, signaling the end of segregation in the capital. As the nation struggled in the grip of the Great Depression, she made Americans feel that someone cared for them. She received thousands of letters asking for help and support and did her best to meet as many of their needs as she could. After the death of her husband, she was named the U.S. Delegate to the United Nations and worked to create The Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Eleanor Roosevelt’s advocacy for those less fortunate than herself has left a legacy of love and compassion to which we all should aspire.