SOPHIE BELIEVED THAT THROUGH HER death, “Thousands would be awakened and stirred to action.” In her final days, Sophie shared with her cellmate Else Gebel that there would be a student revolt following their execution. And in the few brief moments with her mother before the end, Sophie said, “What we did will cause waves.”

Except, no waves of courage followed. No student revolt happened. And the Church in Germany wasn’t stirred to action. Although rose blossoms may perish with the fall, they reappear in the spring. While the members of the White Rose were all found and executed, their sacrifice planted the seeds of resistance in the hearts of countless men and women, whose actions keep alive the legacy of the White Rose.