From the anti-Semitic persecution of Alfred Dreyfus in 1894 to the fall of Romania's Nicolae Ceaușescu in 1989 and the repeal of Don't Ask Don't Tell in 2010, December 22nd marks pivotal moments in the fight against discrimination and oppression. These watershed events, separated by decades, share a common thread: the gradual expansion of human rights and dignity in the face of institutional prejudice.