When people rise up in protest, there's always hope the world will shift. Yet change comes slowly and the deeper structures of power often remain unmoved. Women who have stood on the frontlines of protest—from environmental actions to anti-war demonstrations—share their stories of persistence, disappointment, and resilience.

• Virginia Kennedy recounts her arrest at the White House while protesting the Keystone XL pipeline and the unexpected connections formed with other women in jail
• The importance of "building bridges" rather than creating division when communicating about environmental justice
• Sharon Pontier reflects on protesting the neutron bomb outside Jimmy Carter's church in 1978 and how our voices "go through time"
• The 1984 Peace Ribbon project that grew from a small beach gathering into a 15-mile ribbon surrounding the Pentagon and Washington landmarks
• First-hand accounts of the Standing Rock water protector movement and its lasting impact despite the pipeline being built
• Experiences at Occupy Wall Street in Zuccotti Park and the collective response to economic injustice
• Mary Oliver's poem "The Buddha's Last Instruction" and its connection to making ourselves "a light" through activism

"If there's something that's pulling at your heart, join in and find out more about it. Bring your body to the cause. You will be rewarded with the power of the light."

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