“As a twisted twig sometimes develops into the branch, spoiling the symmetry of the forest, so sometimes a twisted idea finds root in the mind of man and develops a personality which spoils the beauty of man’s dreams.” ~ Marion Helland Born to Norwegian immigrants in the 1920s Midwestern United States, Marion Helland learned how to celebrate one’s differences and advocate for others who were seen as outsiders. By becoming an elementary school teacher, she found her avenue for pursuing equality by opening her students’ eyes to the discrimination that permeated the world around them. Her lessons about the reality of racism and the need for critical analysis worked to change the one-sided narrative of segregation, which had long been impressed on young minds. In 1965, Marion responded to an ad “Teachers WANTED to Teach FREEDOM” and migrated down to the segregated American South. There she began her lifelong commitment to social justice, documenting her life's work in 50 boxes of journals and photographs. Years later, Marion entrusted these to her family to share with others, to remind us how a history of segregation and intolerance still resonates in our struggle for equality today. In this collection of memoirs, we follow Marion as she visits a Ku Klux Klan meeting, teaches in the Freedom Schools, marches in the Meredith March, camps on Capitol Hill with the Poor People’s Campaign, and changes social policy for years to come. In her lifetime, Marion bore witness to the endless atrocities that stained our collective consciousness, and she worked with other visionaries to inspire our march towards a brighter, more equitable future. Nine decades of primary source documentation of human rights service from the lens of a MIDWESTERN White woman “Ms. Helland’s strong beliefs in civil rights were passed down to us and probably every class she ever taught! She taught us tolerance, kindness, and how important it was to be open-minded and to think for ourselves.” ~Sandi Konop-Forness “Ms. Helland very much opened my eyes, and it has stayed with me my entire life. Her passion for peaceful protest from a White suburban setting was very influential in my world view.” ~Ken Hoyme “I credit Ms. Helland for sensitizing me and teaching me so much at such a young age. Her example and teaching were profoundly formative upon me, and I will be forever grateful to have her in my life.” ~Gil Mann “She woke a generation!” ~Charles Palmer “I valued Marion’s tenacity as Marion always gave hope in what mattered in our society. She kept showing up, and she moved the direction of where we needed to go. ~Ada Alden “Marion will be remembered by so many because of her passion to create change in a challenged world.” ~Louisa Hext “Marion fought for human rights even though she did not have to do that. She used her White privilege to make a change and was passionately engrossed in the work she did for people who did not have a voice. When people met Marion and saw her petite frame, they assumed she was harmless, but she was a ‘powerhouse’ as she approached issues in a diplomatic manner. Even today, the problems are not going away, but Marion’s work with education and diversity issues are still impacting decisions. Marion’s legacy lives on.” ~Anise Mazone “She was a great listener, and when she spoke, all sat up and listened. She was so soft spoken but so deep in her emotions and efforts to give opportunities to ALL students of District 281. Powerful force for civil rights and acceptance of individual differences.” ~ Jim Dolan