Israel “Iz” Kamakawiwo’ole, also called Bruddah Iz (Brother Iz), was a Hawaiian musician, entertainer and sovereignty activist. His voice became famous outside Hawai’i when his album Facing Future was released in 1993. His medley of “Over the Rainbow/What a Wonderful World” (previously sung by Judy Garland/Louis Armstrong) was subsequently featured in several films, television programs and TV commercials. Through his skillful ukulele playing and incorporation of other genres (such as jazz and reggae), Kamakawiwo’ole’s music remains a very strong influence in Hawaiian music. He was born on May 20, 1959 and died on June 26, 1997 from obesity-related health problems (he weighed as much as 767 pounds).
I chose Iz as pixel art character No. 808 because 808 is the Hawai’i area code, and 808 is supposedly used as the penal code for disturbing the peace. I guess I’m saying that it’s a good idea to listen to “Over the Rainbow/What a Wonderful World” really loud every now and then. Though I think something more violent might be appropriate to accompany the outrage and injustice of yesterday’s Ferguson grand jury decision not to indict Darren Wilson in the shooting death of Michael Brown. In his testimony, Wilson, a white police officer, describes Brown, an unarmed black teenager, as “like a demon.” Wilson won’t even go to trial, and so St. Louis burns.
Neil Young is a Canadian singer-songwriter and musician. In 1966, he moved from Canada to California and co-founded the band Buffalo Springfield, later joining Crosby, Stills & Nash as a fourth member in 1969. He forged a successful and acclaimed solo career, releasing his first album in 1968; his career has since spanned over 45 years and 35 studio albums. Young has directed a number of films using the pseudonym Bernard Shakey and has also contributed to the soundtracks of films including Philadelphia (1993) and Dead Man (1995). He is an environmentalist and outspoken advocate for the welfare of small farmers, having co-founded in 1985 the benefit concert Farm Aid. In 1986, Young helped found the Bridge School, an educational organization for children with severe verbal and physical disabilities. He was born on this day in 1945.
Irena Sendler (née Krzyżanowska) was a Polish nurse/social worker who served in the Polish Underground during World War II, and as head of children’s section of Żegota, an underground resistance organization in German-occupied Warsaw. Assisted by some two dozen other Żegota members, Sendler smuggled some 2,500 Jewish children out of the Warsaw Ghetto and provided them with false identity documents and housing outside the Ghetto, saving those children during the Holocaust. The Nazis eventually discovered her activities and tortured her, but she managed to evade execution and survive the war. Known as “the female Oskar Schindler,” late in life she was awarded Poland’s highest honor for her wartime humanitarian efforts. Sendler was born on February 15, 1910 and died on May 12, 2008 at the age of 98.
Note: Sendler was reportedly a candidate to receive the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize, but that honor was awarded to Al Gore and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) instead.
Josephine Baker was an American-born French dancer, singer and actress. Born in St. Louis, she became a citizen of France in 1937. Fluent in both English and French, Baker was an international icon, perhaps best known for her infamous banana dance. She was the first African-American female to star in a major motion picture, Zouzou (1934), integrate an American concert hall and become a world-famous entertainer. Baker is also noted for her contributions to the civil rights movement in the United States, for assisting the French Resistance during World War II and for receiving the French military honor, the Croix de guerre.
Note: Baker was offered the unofficial leadership of the civil rights movement by Coretta Scott King in 1968 following the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr., but turned it down.
Jackie Robinson was an American baseball player who became the first African-American to play in Major League Baseball (MLB) in the modern era. Robinson broke the baseball color line when the Brooklyn Dodgers started him at first base on April 15, 1947. As the first MLB team to play a black man since the 1880s, the Dodgers ended racial segregation that had relegated black players to the Negro leagues for six decades. Robinson’s character and talent challenged the traditional basis of segregation and contributed significantly to the Civil Rights Movement. Over 10 seasons, Robinson played in six World Series, winning one in 1955. He was selected for six consecutive All-Star Games (1949-1954), was the recipient of the inaugural MLB Rookie of the Year Award in 1947 and won the National League Most Valuable Player Award in 1949.
Note: In 1997, Major League Baseball “universally” retired his uniform number, 42, across all major league teams; he was the first pro athlete in any sport to be so honored. This is pixel art character #642.
Subcomandante Marcos is the nom de guerre used by Rafael Guillén Vicente, the main ideologist, spokesperson and de facto leader of the Zapatista Army of National Liberation (EZLN), a Mexican rebel movement fighting for the rights of the indigenous peoples of Mexico. The EZLN group takes its name from agrarian reformer Emiliano Zapata. On January 1, 1994, when the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) became effective, Marcos led an army of Mayan farmers into eastern Chiapas state, to protest the Mexican federal government’s mistreatment of the nation’s indigenous peoples. Marcos is also a writer, a political poet and an anti-capitalist. He wears a black ski mask, often with a tobacco pipe sticking out, and a watch on each wrist. Nearly all EZLN villages have murals featuring Zapata, Che Guevara and Subcomandante Marcos. According to the Mexican government, Guillén was born on June 19, 1957.
My wife Heidi has a particular fascination with the mystery and mythology of Subcomandante Marcos. This pixel art character was suggested by her. Also, I am now dropping my publishing schedule to two 8-bit characters per week, usually on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
Fawzia Koofi is an Afghan politician and women’s rights activist. On the day she was born in rural Afghanistan, her mother set her under the blazing sun to die. Koofi was the 19th child of 23 in a polygamous family with seven wives, and her mother did not want another daughter. Despite severe burns, she survived and became the favorite child. Koofi is Afghanistan’s first female Parliament speaker and a noted activist for women and children’s rights. She has written two books about her experiences in Afghanistan under the exploitative rule of the Mujahideen and Taliban. There have been numerous attempts on her life—and her father, brother and husband have all been killed. Koofi has announced her intention to run as a presidential candidate in the 2014 elections in Afghanistan.
Koofi is an amazing woman with an awe-inspiring story. If you’re interested in watching her speak for a few minutes, she appeared as a guest on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart on February 13, 2013.
Hank Aaron is a retired Major League Baseball (MLB) player who spent most of his 23-season career with the Milwaukee/Atlanta Braves. Aaron made the All-Star Game every year from 1955-1975 and won three Gold Glove Awards. In 1957, he won the NL MVP Award and the Braves won the World Series. His most notable achievement was breaking the career home run record set by Babe Ruth (714) with 755. He holds the MLB records for the most career RBIs, extra base hits and total bases. He is one of the greatest baseball players of all time.
Billie Jean King is an American former tennis player who won 12 Grand Slam singles titles and 27 Grand Slam doubles titles during her career. She has been an advocate against sexism in sports and society. King won “The Battle of the Sexes” in 1973, in which she defeated Bobby Riggs, a former Wimbledon men’s singles champion, for $100,000. She’s one of the greatest women’s tennis players of all time.
Note: This is 8-bit tennis character #2 of 5 for French Open week.
Rachel Carson was an American marine biologist whose writings are credited with advancing the global environmental movement. Her book Silent Spring (1962) documented detrimental effects of pesticides on the environment, particularly on birds. This led to a nationwide ban on DDT, and inspired a grassroots environmental movement that resulted in the creation of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. She was born on May 27, 1907.
The 45th Vice President of the United States (1993-2001), under President Bill Clinton, and the Democratic candidate in the 2000 U.S. presidential election. Gore is also an environmental activist who wrote An Inconvenient Truth. He has founded several nonprofits including the Alliance for Climate Protection, and received a Nobel Peace Prize for his work in climate change activism. A well-known animatronic human, Gore was “born” tomorrow in 1948.
I’m pretty tired of creating 8-bit versions of famous white dudes in suits, so this character is based on a Futurama version of Al Gore (plus his South Park superhero cape). In the 31st century, Gore is First Emperor of the Moon. You guys, I’m serial. I’m super-serial. Lockbox.
Helen Keller is an American author and political activist. She was the first deafblind person to earn a Bachelor of Arts degree. The story of how Keller’s teacher broke through the isolation and helped her learn to communicate is the basis for the play and film The Miracle Worker. A prolific author, Keller was outspoken in her opposition to war and campaigned for women’s suffrage, workers’ rights and socialism.
Helen Keller is one of a trio of American women activists (along with Clara Barton and Harriet Tubman) that recently appeared to my girlfriend in a dream.
Clara Barton was a pioneer American teacher, patent clerk, nurse and humanitarian. During the American Civil War and many subsequent international wars, Barton tended to wounded soldiers. In 1881, she founded and became the first president of the American Red Cross, a volunteer-led, humanitarian organization.
Clara Barton is one of a trio of American women activists (along with Harriet Tubman and Helen Keller) that recently appeared to my girlfriend in a dream.
Harriet Tubman is one of a trio of American women activists (along with Clara Barton and Helen Keller) that recently appeared to my girlfriend in a dream.
A prominent American civil rights leader who played a pivotal role in the 19th century women’s rights movement to introduce women’s suffrage into the United States. She was one of the important advocates in leading the way for women’s rights to be acknowledged and instituted in the American government. She died on this day in 1906 at age 86.
The leader of the Wal-lam-wat-kain (Wallowa) band of Nez Perce (or Niimíipu) during General Oliver O. Howard’s attempt to forcibly remove “non-treaty” Nez Perce from the Wallowa Valley of northeastern Oregon to a reservation in Idaho during the late 1800s. For his principled resistance to the removal, Chief Joseph became renowned as a humanitarian and peacemaker. He was born yesterday in 1840.
Linus Pauling was an American chemist, biochemist, peace activist and author. He ranks among the most important scientists of the 20th century. Pauling was one of the first scientists to work in the fields of quantum chemistry and molecular biology. A graduate of Oregon State University and winner of two Nobel Prizes, he was born on this day in 1901 in Portland, Oregon.
P.S. “Do unto others 20% better than you would expect them to do unto you, to correct for subjective error.” – Linus Pauling
An African-American civil rights activist whom the U.S. Congress called “the first lady of civil rights” and “the mother of the freedom movement.” In 1955, Parks’ civil disobedience had the effect of sparking the Montgomery Bus Boycott. Parks became an important symbol of the modern Civil Rights Movement and an international icon of resistance to racial segregation.
The First Lady of the United States from 1933 to 1945. She supported the New Deal policies of her husband, FDR, and became an advocate for civil rights. After her husband’s death in 1945, Roosevelt continued to serve as a humanitarian and civic leader, working for the welfare of youth, black Americans, the poor, and women, at home and abroad.
The 26th President of the United States (1901-1909). He is noted for his “cowboy” persona. Roosevelt declined to run for re-election in 1908. After leaving office, he embarked on a safari to Africa and a tour of Europe. Roosevelt’s lasting popular legacy is the teddy bear, named after him following an incident on a hunting trip. He was born on this day in 1858.
Israel “Iz” Kamakawiwo’ole – No. 808
Israel “Iz” Kamakawiwo’ole, also called Bruddah Iz (Brother Iz), was a Hawaiian musician, entertainer and sovereignty activist. His voice became famous outside Hawai’i when his album Facing Future was released in 1993. His medley of “Over the Rainbow/What a Wonderful World” (previously sung by Judy Garland/Louis Armstrong) was subsequently featured in several films, television programs and TV commercials. Through his skillful ukulele playing and incorporation of other genres (such as jazz and reggae), Kamakawiwo’ole’s music remains a very strong influence in Hawaiian music. He was born on May 20, 1959 and died on June 26, 1997 from obesity-related health problems (he weighed as much as 767 pounds).
I chose Iz as pixel art character No. 808 because 808 is the Hawai’i area code, and 808 is supposedly used as the penal code for disturbing the peace. I guess I’m saying that it’s a good idea to listen to “Over the Rainbow/What a Wonderful World” really loud every now and then. Though I think something more violent might be appropriate to accompany the outrage and injustice of yesterday’s Ferguson grand jury decision not to indict Darren Wilson in the shooting death of Michael Brown. In his testimony, Wilson, a white police officer, describes Brown, an unarmed black teenager, as “like a demon.” Wilson won’t even go to trial, and so St. Louis burns.