For a brighter Thanksgiving in our troubled times, I share my carefully chosen, over a number of months, roster of diverse age and origins Young Heroes. They give me hope and cheer. I hope they will do that for you and your families too . Enjoy.

Zaila Avant-garde, 14 year old first African American to win the Scripps National Spelling Bee. She also holds three Guinness World Records for basketball dribbling.  Zaila Avant-garde Talks About How She Came To Her Spelling Success : NPR

Tani Adewumi, 10 year old Nigerian immigrant to New York City, youngest in history chess master. Meet America's Newest Chess Master. He's 10 : NPR

Orion Jean, 10 year old in Texas who speaks like an educated adult and who is collecting a half million books to give to children in need. A Fort Worth 10-Year-Old Has Collected 40,000 Books for Kids in Need – Texas Monthly

Caleb Anderson, 13 year old who is beginning sophomore year in college as aerospace major. This is how parents pay for their kids to go to college

Kashe Quest, three year old youngest member of Mensa who memorized the Periodic Table, knows the states by their shapes, and wants to become vice president.  Mensa’s youngest American member is a toddler

Alena Wicker, 12 year old high school graduate who plans to start at NASA at 16, also in Texas but will attend college this fall in Arizona. This 12-year-old genius has her sights set on becoming a NASA engineer | GMA - Good Morning America

Libby Gonzales, 11 year old Texas transgender rights activist since age six. Transgender Children And Their Parents Say They Feel ‘Abused’ As Gov. Abbott Prioritizes Bill Targeting Trans Athletes | KUT Radio, Austin's NPR Station

Naelyn Pike, 19 year old, San Carlos Apache Tribe (she/her). Following in the activist footsteps of her grandfather and mother, Naelyn Pike considers the fight to protect sacred lands a generational one. Her family founded Apache Stronghold, an organization dedicated to defending holy sites and freedom of religion for Indigenous communities. Naelyn has been working with the group to save the sacred site Oak Flat from being sold to a foreign mining corporation. She’s spoken at schools and conventions around the world, advocating for the rights of her people and encouraging other youth to do the same. Young, indigenous, and inspiring a generation of activists: meet Naelyn Pike - Contiki

Sophie Cruz, 9 years old. She was five years old when she tried to get through the Pope’s security barricade to hand him a letter (and the video of their encounter went viral). Sophie’s letter had a simple request: for him to help undocumented folks like her parents, who immigrated to the US from Oaxaca, Mexico. She’s since gone on to become a powerful voice in the immigrant rights movement, with accomplishments like speaking at the Women’s March, sitting in on Supreme Court hearings, and meeting with former President Barack Obama and former Vice President Joe Biden -- all before her age hits double digits. Meet Sophie Cruz 8-Year-Old Latina Immigration Activist - Mitu

Naudia and Linkin  My Friend Linkin. https://www.myfriendlinkin.org/aboutus

Paxton Smith, 18 year old high school grad in Texas who tore up her commencement speech (with her parents' support) to denounce the Texas Governor and State Legislators for radical legislation all but completely restricting abortion. Texas Abortion Law Opponents Share Valedictorian's Speech - The New York Times

Malala Yousafzai, Pakistani Nobel Laureate and female education activist. Read Malala's British Vogue Cover Interview In Full: “I Know The Power A Young Girl Carries In Her Heart” | British Vogue

Malala Yousafzai - Biographical - NobelPrize.org

Last but not least, the incomparable Greta Thunberg, amazingly still a teenager. Greta Thunberg: New IPCC Report Is a Wake-Up Call for All About the Escalating Climate Emergency | Democracy Now!

There are others but this is my All Star team!

Enjoy and share with your children and grandchldren.