I couldn't play on the same playground as the white kids.
I couldn't go to their schools.
I couldn't drink from their water fountains.
There were so many things I couldn't do.
In 1963 Birmingham, Alabama, thousands of African American children volunteered to march for their civil rights after hearing Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. speak. They protested the laws that kept black people separate from white people. Facing fear, hate, and danger, these children used their voices to change the world. Frank Morrison's emotive oil-on-canvas paintings bring this historical event to life, while Monica Clark-Robinson's moving and poetic words document this remarkable time. --from the publisher
40 pages 978-0544704527 Ages 6-9
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Birmingham, Alabama, 1963. Martin Luther King Jr. has come to this city to encourage his followers to march for their civil rights. But the adults know they could lose their jobs and they can't risk that.
The decision is made for their children to march. Thousands took to the streets facing hatred, water hoses and jail. This is their story.
Gorgeous illustrations invite us into the homes and living rooms of the families who were faced with the difficult decision of how to respond to the racism and prejudice that they faced daily. This is a chance to stand in the shoes of these fathers and mothers and children who had the courage to stand up against discrimination in a time when that was not the norm. This is an invitation to experience history on a first name basis as in, this could be you or the people down the street having to speak up louder than loud to be heard, to be seen, to be valued and respected.
Ask yourself the question, would you have the courage to march?
Recommended by: Barb Langridge, abookandahug.com
