“I have learned over the years that when one’s mind is made up, this diminishes fear; knowing what must be done does away with fear.”- Rosa Parks
Rosa Parks is considered the “Mother of the Civil Rights Movement.” Unfortunately, most people only know about her arrest for refusing to move to the back of the bus in the Jim Crow South. But in this article, the niece of Rosa Parks, Urana McCauley, indicates that Parks’ life, before and after, was much more than that December 1, 1955 act of resistance. Parks’ physical appearance and demure disposition belied a lifetime of courageous and persistent fights for justice. Similarly, the scope of Harriet Tubman’s life is beginning to be explored more. McCauley, who since passed on, honored her aunt “by refusing to let her legacy be turned into a caricature.” Hopefully, the picture books listed (two are summer releases) will serve as an introduction to these powerful and determined women who effected change in their communities and in arts, education, sports, and politics. Most picture book biographies contain back matter and resources for further reading, so, like McCauley, let’s not allow their lives to be defined by a few bullet points, but know that their stories are varied, complex, and beautiful. Also, see Black Women in STEM: 12 Children’s Books for Women’s History Month.
Kamala Harris: Rooted in Justice
Nikki Grimes | Laura Freeman | Atheneum BYR | August 25, 2020 | Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound
Shirley Chisholm Is a Verb
Veronica Chambers | Rachelle Baker | Dial Books | July 28, 2020 | Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound
Althea Gibson: The Story of Tennis’ Fleet-of-Foot Girl
Megan Reid | Laura Freeman | Balzer + Bray | PB | January 21, 2020 | Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound
The Power of Her Pen: The Story of Groundbreaking Journalist Ethel L. Payne
Lesa Cline-Ransome | John Parra | S&S/Paula Wiseman | PB | January 14, 2020 | Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound
A Voice Named Aretha
Katheryn Russell-Brown | Laura Freeman| Bloomsbury | PB | January 7, 2020 | Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound
Mamie on the Mound: A Woman in Baseball’s Negro Leagues
Leah Henderson | George Doutsiopoulos | Capstone | PB | January 1, 2020 | Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound
Ona Judge Outwits the Washingtons: An Enslaved Woman Fights for Freedom
Gwendolyn Hooks | Simone Agoussoye | Capstone | October 1, 2019 | Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound
Brave Ballerina: The Story of Janet Collins
Michelle Meadows | Ebony Glenn | Henry Holt and Co. BYR | January 8, 2019 | Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound
Someday Is Now: Clara Luper and the 1958 Oklahoma City Sit-ins
Olugbemisola Rhuday-Perkovich | Jade Johnson | Seagrass Press | August 7, 2018 | Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound
The Legendary Miss Lena Horne
Carole Boston Weatherford | Elizabeth Zunon | Atheneum BYR | January 24, 2017 | Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound
Voice of Freedom: Fannie Lou Hamer: The Spirit of the Civil Rights Movement
Carole Boston Weatherford | Ekua Holmes | Candlewick | August 4, 2015 | Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound
Viola Desmond Won’t Be Budged
Jody Nyasha Warner | Richard Rudnicki | Groundwood Books | November 1, 2010 | Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound
Sojourner Truth’s Step-Stomp Stride
Andrea Davis Pinkney | Brian Pinkney | Jump At The Sun | November 24, 2009 | Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound
Ida B. Wells: Let the Truth Be Told
Walter Dean Myers | Bonnie Christensen | Amistad | October 28, 2008 | Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound
Mary McLeod Bethune
Eloise Greenfield | Jerry Pinkney | Perfection Learning | August 1, 1994 | Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound
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