BRIDGING THE DIVIDE
AYMAN ODEH | 44
Ordinarily, it’s difficult for a non-Jewish
politician to break through in Israeli
politics. Arab Israelis may account for
every fifth resident of the country, but
in its parliament, the Knesset, they are
routinely relegated to a corner. All of which
makes Ayman Odeh, the head of Israel’s
Arab parliamentarians, all the more
extraordinary. As the contest for leadership
of the self-declared Jewish state teetered
between right-wing and centrist factions,
Odeh emerged not only as a possible
kingmaker but also as a stirring new
voice for equality and inclusion. “We
have proven,” he says, “that cooperation
between people, Arab and Jewish, is the
only principled political strategy that will
lead to a better future for all.” ÑKarl Vick
EMBODYING A MOVEMENT
EDWARD LEUNG | 28
Few have seen Edward Leung
since he was jailed last year for his
involvement in a 2016 riot. But to
the thousands of protesters on the
streets chanting, “Liberate Hong
Kong, revolution of our times,” a
clarion call Leung himself coined,
the 28-year-old is a spiritual leader
of the city’s months-long unrest.
The activist is credited for bringing
“localism,” a movement that
advocates for greater autonomy
from mainland China, into the
mainstream. His early days as an
advocate for independence are seen
in the award-winning documentary
Lost in the Fumes—which, naturally,
has become essential viewing for
the city’s protesters, who in October
gathered in the hundreds outside
a court building as he appealed his
sentence. Although Leung is unable
to join the mass protests from prison,
he has offered his support. Back in
July, he wrote a poignant open letter
to the protesters encouraging them
to fight on. Nora Lam, who directed
the documentary, says, “He has
a way of sounding like he always
has something new, something
provocative and interesting to say.”
—Hillary Leung
EDUCATION ADVOCATE
TABATA AMARAL | 25
It took six minutes for Tabata Amaral
to become a political sensation in
Brazil. In March, the Congresswoman
delivered a searing critique of
Education Minister Ricardo Vélez. The
video quickly went viral, announcing
the freshman as a force to be reckoned
with. Though she’s now one of far-right
President Jair Bolsonaro’s most visible
critics, Amaral is trying to separate
herself from Brazil’s bitter partisan
divides. It’s a complicated task:
her vote in favor of a conservative-
backed pension- reform plan led to
a temporary suspension from her
center- left party this summer. But
Amaral says fixing Brazil’s problems
(fewer than half of adults have a high
school diploma, for example) will
require some new political thinking.
“There is so much between left
and right, especially in a moment
that is so polarized, and in a world
that is so complex with all the new
technologies,” she says, “we have to
find a way in between.” —Ciara Nugent
PORTRAIT-ILLUSTRATION BY GLUEKIT FOR TIME; CRENSHAW: JEFF BROWN FOR TIME; LEUNG, ODEH: GETTY IMAGES
61
