A few weeks ago, The Times released their list of “The 100 Most Influential People” and I was shocked at the number of people on the list that I had never heard of before. Divided into five categories; pioneers, artists, leaders, titans, and icons, the list includes not only well-known figures, but those working behind the scenes. Here, I’ve compiled a list of five people, one from each category, who I didn’t know of, but who deserve to have their story heard.
Pioneers: Chase Strangio
Strangio is a lawyer for the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and serves as their deputy director for transgender justice. In the past year, he was part of Aimee Stephen’s legal team regarding the first transgender civil rights case heard by the Supreme Court. The court ruled in favor, a 6-3 decision, that firing someone based on sexual orientation or gender identity violates the Civil Rights Act of 1964. As a member of the LGBTQ+ community himself, Strangio continues his activism with the title of “lawyer behind the biggest LGBTQ+ legal victory in history” alongside him.
Artists: Bong Joon Ho
While I must admit that I haven’t seen any of his films, it was impossible to keep up with pop culture without hearing praise for Ho’s latest film: Parasite. However, the quality of his latest work is no different than anything he has done in his past, and he is finally receiving the recognition that he deserves. Described as being “supremely cineliterate,” this is only the beginning of his worldwide domination of intricate cinematography. Ho is instantly recognizable by his famous “ahjussi pose” amidst all the lights and boom mics of production, Ho sits with a familiar pose of that older male family member in photographs: “staunch, detached and, at the same time, somehow heroic.”
Leaders: Ursula von der Leyen
In her biography, she is described as being the “[epitome] of grace under pressure even when pushing through a historic deal.” For more context, this is the “historic deal” that von der Leyen was dealing with: proposing a €750 billion COVID-19 relief fund, advocating for carbon neutrality by 2050, managing over 30,000 staff members, and being a mother of seven children. To think that I begin to crack under the pressure of final essays being due in the same week, I admire von der Leyen’s strength, serving as a true model to her constituents of a real leader who gets to work.
Titans: Sundar Pichai
While you (and I) might not have heard of Sundar Pichai, we have all used the collection of his brainchildren: Google Drive, Maps, and Gmail. The true epitome of the American dream, Pichai came to the United States as a young adult and began working for Google in 2004, where he was tasked with working on the search bar. While developing the search bar, Pichai led the creation of Google Chrome, one of the most widely used web browsers. Today, he is Apple’s first non-white CEO and has begun building a legacy for himself by committing the company to diversity and inclusion initiatives. Recently, the company signed on to hiring 100,000 traditionally underserved New Yorkers by 2030.
Icons: Amy O’Sullivan
O’Sullivan is a true example of how healthcare workers are on the front lines of battling the ongoing pandemic. She was a part of treating the first COVID-19 patient at Wyckoff Hospital in Brooklyn, the patient who would become New York City’s first coronavirus death. O’Sullivan herself, eventually battled coronavirus and was intubated for four days and quarantined for fourteen days before heading right back to work. Her story is reminiscent of many other faceless yet heroic healthcare workers who have put themselves in danger over the past few months.
To see the full list and read about others who made the influential list:
https://time.com/collection/100-most-influential-people-2020/