When cases of COVID-19 first appeared in the Navajo nation, Ethel Branch knew she had to act.

Years earlier, Branch had been Attorney General of the Navajo Nation, and she understood that the virus would spread quickly through the Navajo and Hopi reservations. Many residents have limited access to fresh food and health care. Some homes don't have electricity or running water. So Branch quit her job at a law firm, and started A GoFundMe campaign that raised $5 million to provide food, clean water, and other necessary supplies to families and elderly residents of the reservations.

It wasn’t Ethel Branch’s job to do this. No one asked her to step in. But Ethel Branch did an important thing: she saw a community that needed help and figured out a way to provide it.

We call people like Ethel Branch “civic heroes” because they make a sacrifice or do something extraordinary to make life better for other people. Sometimes when we think of heroes we think of Black Panther or Captain Marvel, superhumans with secret powers. But all around us, every day, there are real people performing selfless acts of courage and generosity—no capes or superpowers required.

In the United States, we have a long tradition of honoring civic heroes because their contributions to society make this country stronger.

Former civil rights leader and U.S. Representative John Lewis, who was beaten and jailed for standing against racism in the Jim Crow South, said civic heroes are people who refuse to stay silent when confronting injustice. 

Lewis said, “When you see something that is not right, that is not fair, not just, you have to speak up. You have to say something; you have to do something." Lewis encouraged everyone to raise their voices for justice: “Never, ever be afraid to make some noise and get in good trouble, necessary trouble.” 

MY PARENTS

A hero is someone who helps people, saves people lives, and risks their lives for someone else’s life. A hero can also be someone brave, cares for someone, loves someone. Example: Like Superman, Spiderman, the Incredible, etc.

My hero is my parents, because they would do anything to help me, or risk their lives for me or one of my other sisters. So my hero is my parents.

My hero has helped me with problems, with homework, and other things. My hero helped me growing up, telling me from right to wrong, teaching me things that I don’t know, helping me when I got hurt, and teaching me how to live life. Example: helping me with math homework, helping me when I fell down the stairs a few times, and helping me when I went to the hospital, so this is why I picked my parents to be my heroes.

My hero, well my mom was born in Ontario, lived with her mom, dad, sister, and brother. My other hero was born in St-Colomban, lived with his mom, dad, and brother.

My mom was the quiet person, she loved her family very much. My dad was the type of person who would work at a young age like 15 years old. He would work with his dad with the horses, and digging holes.

My parents are really important to me because they are the ones who helped me with problems, homework, taught me things that I don’t know and things about life, taught me things that I shouldn’t do and things that I should do in life. So these are my hero, and they will always be with me.