Born in Ohio as one of nine children, this Brazilian changemaker was determined to protect the rights of the economically challenged rural laborers in the Amazon rainforest and simultaneously preserve the rainforest. Dorothy Mae Stang dedicated her life to activism defending the Brazilian rainforest from deforestation. She is pictured wearing a t-shirt with the slogan “A MORTE DA FLORESTA É O FIM DA NOSSA VIDA,” which translates to “the death of the forest is the end of our lives.” Dorothy Stang was a member of the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur, a Catholic institute of religious sisters providing education to the less fortunate. As a sister, Stang taught elementary classes in Illinois and Arizona for 15 years. Today, a center for social justice activism is named after her at Notre Dame de Namur University. After teaching in the United States, Stang moved to Brazil, where her activism began; her ministry collaborated with the Pastoral Land Commission in Brazil. In the early 1970s, much of her work involved raising awareness of the exploitation of Amazon. Stang helped peasants acquire new jobs in sustainable farming to support their income. Furthermore, Stang worked to ensure local communities could maintain their practices in a sustainable fashion that considers the rainforest. She was constantly defending human rights and opposing powerful landowners to protect the rights of small farmers and landless peasants. Stang was named “Woman of the Year” by the state of Pará for her incredible efforts in the Amazon. Furthermore, the Brazilian Bar Association awarded her the “Humanitarian of the Year” award for supporting local rural laborers. At 73 years old, Stang was murdered in 2005 by two men who worked for a livestock company in the Amazon Basin in Pará. This tragedy occurred after receiving many death threats from loggers and landowners because of her work. Following her death in 2008, Stang was awarded the United Nations Human Rights Prize and has been honored for her initiatives by the United States Congress and several colleges and universities.