The Aftermath

Heather Martin was a senior at Columbine High School in Colorado when two teenagers shot and killed 12 students and one teacher. More than a decade later, 12 people were killed and dozens more injured in a shooting at an Aurora movie theater, just miles from where Martin lived. Martin co-founded The Rebels Project, to help survivors process their experiences.

In the early hours of 2009, 22-year-old Oscar Grant was fatally shot by a Bay Area Rapid Transit police officer at the Fruitvale station in Oakland, California. The shooting was captured on cellphone, made headlines nationwide, and led to a national conversation about police brutality. As more police killings made news, Grant's mother, Wanda Johnson, decided to turn her grief into a purpose.

The 2000 film "Erin Brockovich" seemed like a successful David versus Goliath story. A single mom of three took on PG&E for contaminating drinking water in Hinkley, California, and came out victorious, suing and winning $333 million from the giant utility company. But whatever became of the tiny town?

The 2010 Deepwater Horizon spill in the Gulf of Mexico was an environmental accident unlike anything the United States had experienced before. It was the largest offshore spill in American history. Seven years later, those who live near the Gulf say they're not convinced the area will ever make a full recovery.