Giving Compass' Take:

· Victoria Rodriguez at Mashable provides a list of thirteen activist who used their platform for good, inspired others in the process, and made a change in 2018. 

· How have these activists inspired others to take a stand for what they believe in? How have they changed public perception of issues? 

· Check out this list of inspiring mental health activists that are kicking the stigma around mental illness and making a difference.

In 2018, practically anyone can accrue thousands of followers on social media, but only some people use their platform to amplify marginalized voices, promote social justice movements, and help organize on-the-ground action.

Unsurprisingly, women were often the most effective activists of 2018. Emma González called B.S. on politicians who get funded by the National Rifle Association. More than 150 survivors of sexual abuse spoke at Larry Nassar's sentencing. Tina Tchen, Roberta Kaplan, Hilary B. Rosen, and Fatima Goss Graves gave "time's up" a new meaning when they co-founded the Time's Up Legal Defense Fund to connect sexual assault survivors to legal services.

There's no denying the past 12 months have been devastating. Every day seemed to bring new injustice: attacks on women's rights, families being separated, gun violence, and other tragedies. But that didn't stop the below organizers from fighting to move this country forward, alongside these young activists, of course.

Here are 13 trailblazers, presented in alphabetical order, that gave us hope for a better world:

  1. Ady Barkan
  2. Tarana Burke
  3. Rachel Cargle
  4. America Ferrera
  5. Jamie Margolin
  6. Alyssa Milano
  7. Janelle Monáe
  8. Parkland students
  9. Ai-jen Poo
  10. Mónica Ramírez
  11. Time's Up founders
  12. U.S. gymnasts and sexual assault survivors
  13. Raquel Willis

Read the full article about activists who gave us hope in 2018 by Victoria Rodriguez at Mashable.