“My greatest fear is that one day we may wake up and our democracy is gone.”—John Lewis
John Lewis, a giant of the civil rights movement, put his life on the line many times in the fight for voting rights. One instance was during the Selma to Montgomery March on March 7, 1965. On that day—named “Bloody Sunday”—a young John Lewis was beaten by state and local police officers. March: Book Three tells that story and more.
Another young person involved in the Selma March was Lynda Blackmon Lowery. Read her story in Turning 15 on the Road to Freedom: My Story of the 1965 Selma Voting Rights March. Nearly 60 years after the Selma to Montgomery March, we can exercise our right to vote and keep democracy alive. On November 5, 2024, let’s head to the polls to make our voices heard and elect the 47th president of the United States.
The books featured include nonfiction chapter, middle-grade, and young adult titles. They are by or about champions and scholars of voting rights and political leaders. The five books about presidential candidate Kamala Harris should be of great interest and induce many classroom, family, and community discussions. See “It’s Time to Vote: Part I: 28 Picture Books” for more books.
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1. The Story of Kamala Harris
Tonya Leslie PhD | Callisto Kids | September 24, 2024 | Chp Bk | Amazon | Bookshop
2. Who Was John Lewis?
Crystal Hubbard | Who HQ | Stephen Marchesi | Penguin Workshop | December 5, 2023 | Chp Bk | Amazon | Bookshop
3. Who Is Stacey Abrams?
Shelia P. Moses | Who HQ | Dede Putra | Penguin Workshop | September 13, 2022 | Chp Bk | Amazon | Bookshop
4. VIP: Very Important People: Stacey Abrams: Voting Visionary
Andrea J. Loney | Shellene Rodney | HarperCollins | January 18, 2022 | Chp Bk | Amazon | Bookshop
5. Kamala Harris
Jehan Jones-Radgowski | Pebble Books | January 8, 2022 | ChpBk | Amazon | Bookshop
6. Speak Up, Speak Out!: The Extraordinary Life of Fighting Shirley Chisholm
Tonya Bolden | National Geographic Kids | January 4, 2022 | Chp Bk | Amazon | Bookshop
7. National Geographic Kids: Stacey Abrams
Melissa H. Mwai | National Geographic Kids | January 4, 2022 | Chp Bk | Amazon | Bookshop
8. National Geographic Kids: Kamala Harris
Tonya K. Grant | National Geographic Kids | January 4, 2022 | Chp Bk | Amazon | Bookshop
9. You Should Meet: John Lewis
Denise Lewis Patrick | Steffi Walthall | Simon Spotlight | December 14, 2021 | Chp Bk | Amazon | Bookshop
10. Kamala Is Speaking: Vice President for the People
Shasta Clinch | Kamala Nair | Random House BYR | September 14, 2021 | Chp Bk | Amazon | Bookshop
11. We Shall Not Be Denied: A Timeline of Voting Rights and Suppression in America
Cayla Bellanger Degroat | Cicely Lewis | Lerner Publications | September 10, 2024 | MG | Amazon | Bookshop
12. Freedom Summer 1964: Turning Point for Voting Rights
Ngeri Nnachi | Pebble Books | January 1, 2024 | MG | Amazon | Bookshop
13. Who Is Ketanji Brown Jackson? (Who HQ Now)
Shelia P. Moses | Who HQ | Dede Putra | November 29, 2022 | MG | Amazon | Bookshop
14. It’s Her Story: Ida B. Wells: A Graphic Novel
Anastasia Magloire Williams | Alleanna Harris | Sunbird Books | September 15, 2021 | MG | Amazon | Bookshop
15. Voting Rights (Racial Justice in America: Histories)
Kevin P. Winn | Kelisa Wing | Cherry Lake | August 1, 2021 | MG | Amazon | Bookshop
16. Black Voter Suppression: The Fight for the Right to Vote
Artika R. Tyner | Lerner Publications | January 1, 2021 | MG | Amazon | Bookshop
17. Finish the Fight!: The Brave and Revolutionary Women Who Fought for the Right to Vote
Veronica Chambers | The Staff of The New York Times | August 18, 2020 | MG | Amazon | Bookshop
18. Lifting as We Climb: Black Women’s Battle for the Ballot Box
Evette Dionne | Viking BYR | April 21, 2020 | MG | Amazon | Bookshop
19. Represent: The Unfinished Fight for the Vote
Michael Eric Dyson | Marc Favreau | Little, Brown BYR | September 10, 2024 | YA | Amazon | Bookshop
20. Run: Book One
John Lewis | Andrew Aydin | L. Fury | Nate Powell | Abrams ComicArts | August 3, 2021 | YA | Amazon | Bookshop
21. One Person, No Vote (YA Edition): How Not All Voters Are Treated Equally
Carol Anderson | Tonya Bolden | Bloomsbury | September 17, 2019 | YA | Amazon | Bookshop
22. The Truths We Hold: An American Journey (Young Readers Edition)
Kamala Harris | Philomel | May 7, 2019 | YA | Amazon | Bookshop
23. March: Book Three
John Lewis | Andrew Aydin | Nate Powell | Top Shelf | August 2, 2016 | YA | Amazon | Bookshop
24. Turning 15 on the Road to Freedom: My Story of the 1965 Selma Voting Rights March
Lynda Blackmon Lowery | Elspeth Leacock | Susan Buckley | P.J. Loughran | Dial Books | January 8, 2015 | YA | Amazon | Bookshop
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