Margaret Mead, an American anthropologist, once stated: “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. In fact, it's the only thing I've ever had.” As humans, we are always observing the world around us, however, when we come across something we want to change, it can be a huge undertaking for a single person. The mobilization of resources and people, the emergence of conflicts and the demand for reforms are the fundamental characteristics of a social movement. A social movement occurs when a person cares enough about what they believe to change what they see as wrong. Throughout history there have been many social movements, including the Environmental Movement of the 1960s and 1970s, during which many individuals, especially those directly affected by circumstances, stood up, took action and fought for what they believed should be done. A person's identity is the most essential part of a successful social movement, because if a person is emotionally and physically invested in a cause, he or she is more likely to invest his or her entire being, energy, and dedication to institute change for those that surround it. Identity, is not simply a group with which a person aligns, but strongly embodies that specific person's beliefs, what they believe is right and wrong, and their sense of moral obligation to make people aware of their surroundings, even if It means putting your life at risk. For example, Rachel Carson, a marine biologist, felt it was her obligation to publish a book, Silent Spring in 1962, to inform the American public of the potential dangers of pesticides in their bodies and the environment. Rachel Carson has been very effective in raising awareness in her book, Silent Spring... center of paper... all the backgrounds to grow as a leader, fight for justice, create greater equality, but most of all take care of those around them. Positive changes in the environmental movement of the 1960s and 1970s led by people like Rachel Carson, Lois Gibbs, and Erin Brockovich and by communities like Warren County remind us how powerful unity and identity can be. That's not to say that if you have no connection to a situation you won't care, because we as humans are all inclined to feel some degree of empathy in helping those around us. However, that personal connection causes us to fight the war of passion and anger within ourselves and causes people to underestimate how powerful a united community can be. If we don't stand up for our communities, what is right, and what we intrinsically believe in, who will be willing to take responsibility??