Learn about the key events of the Civil Rights Movement in this exciting and informative series. The year 1951 would alter the way the Black community looked at segregated education. Local NAACP leaders and other activists spearheaded plans to end the rule of "separate but equal” and changed their strategy to integration. Barbara Johns would organize a student strike against the inadequate conditions of her Black high school. Justice for Black Americans would be the other critical issue addressed by the NAACP. On Christmas night, a shocking act of violence would be committed against Harry T. Moore, the executive director of the Florida NAACP, and his wife, Harriette, leaving the Black community devastated but also more determined to reach their dream of equality. This detailed account explains why 1951 was such a critical year in the civil rights movement. ABOUT THE SERIES: The years from 1939 to 1954 were foundational to the civil rights movement. Resistance was often met with violence against Black Americans struggling to end discrimination and segregation. Yet the courage of those yearning for equal opportunities under the law continued to persevere and set the stage for the pivotal events of the late 1950s and 1960s. With stunning photographs throughout and rich back matter, each book focuses on a specific year and chronologically follows the detailed events that occurred and the changes that took place.
A touching story about Japanese American children who corresponded with their beloved librarian while they were imprisoned in WW II internment camps. Booklist writes, ''A beautiful picture book for sharing and discussing with older children as well as the primary audience.'' Starred Review
A captivating and rarely told World War II story: that of the Canadian troops sent to defend Hong Kong from the invading Japanese. Nineteen-year-old Jack Finnigan is a born troublemaker. He has grown up defying authority and leaves his small town to enlist in the Royal Rifles, expecting adventure . . . and not afraid of danger. Little does he know what awaits across the Pacific, where his untested regiment is being sent to defend the vulnerable British colony of Hong Kong. The Royal Rifles and the Winnipeg Grenadiers, many of them young and untrained, quickly find themselves in the thick of battle as the Japanese attack on Sunday, December 7, 1941 (the same day as the bombing of Pearl Harbor). After nearly a month of fighting, the colony falls to the Japanese. Jack writes about the fierce battles during those hard weeks, the surrender and capture of his unit, and his brutal time in the POW camp. In those desperate battles and horrendous conditions, he befriends a once-despised sergeant and learns to work with him in order to survive.
In this inspiring collection of true stories, thirty African-Americans who were children or teenagers in the 1950s and 1960s talk about what it was like for them to fight segregation in the South-to sit in an all-white restaurant and demand to be served, to refuse to give up a seat at the front of the bus, to be among the first to integrate the public schools, and to face violence, arrest, and even death for the cause of freedom. "Thrilling...Nothing short of wonderful."-The New York Times Awards: ( A School Library Journal Best Book of the Year ( A Booklist Editors' Choice
A New York Times Book Review Editors’ Choice The fascinating, forgotten story of the 1970s attempt to build a city dedicated to racial equality in the heart of “Klan Country” In 1969, with America’s cities in turmoil and racial tensions high, civil rights leader Floyd McKissick announced an audacious plan: he would build a new city in rural North Carolina, open to all but intended primarily to benefit Black people. Named Soul City, the community secured funding from the Nixon administration, planning help from Harvard and the University of North Carolina, and endorsements from the New York Times and the Today show. Before long, the brand-new settlement – built on a former slave plantation – had roads, houses, a health care center, and an industrial plant. By the year 2000, projections said, Soul City would have fifty thousand residents. But the utopian vision was not to be. The race-baiting Jesse Helms, newly elected as senator from North Carolina, swore to stop government spending on the project. Meanwhile, the liberal Raleigh News & Observer mistakenly claimed fraud and corruption in the construction effort. Battered from the left and the right, Soul City was shut down after just a decade. Today, it is a ghost town – and its industrial plant, erected to promote Black economic freedom, has been converted into a prison. In a gripping, poignant narrative, acclaimed author Thomas Healy resurrects this forgotten saga of race, capitalism, and the struggle for equality. Was it an impossible dream from the beginning? Or a brilliant idea thwarted by prejudice and ignorance? And how might America be different today if Soul City had been allowed to succeed?
Learning about civics shouldn't be boring. How America Works gives teens a fun, behind-the-scenes look at how the U.S. government works, why they should care and how they can get involved. But this isn't just any old civics primer. Appealing graphics and a conversational tone draw readers in from the very first page. Political cartoons and debates spark critical thought. And age-appropriate explanations make even the most complex civics topics accessible and easy to understand. In short, this comprehensive guide has everything teens need to know about government and civic engagement (and probably don't). 11 easily digestible units From the Declaration of Independence to civil rights and immigration, How America Works helps readers understand the foundations of our nation and the key civic issues facing America today--without dry or complicated language. Ideas for civic engagement It's easy for teens to feel like the government doesn't matter to them. But when they see their interests and concerns reflected on every page, they'll feel empowered to get involved. And we've got plenty of ideas to help them out. Perfect for teachers or parents Your middle- and high-school students are the voters, active citizens, and community leaders of tomorrow. When you give them How America Works, you're giving them a guide to making their voices heard. Exclusive online bonus Order now and get access to online videos, lessons and writing extensions that expand on the topics covered in the book. Here's what we cover: The Declaration of Independence The Constitution The Bill of Rights How Washington Works Supreme Court Cases Every Student Should Know The Presidency Why Voting Matters The Long Struggle for Civil Rights Immigration: Who Gets to Be an American? You and the Media Could You Pass America's Citizenship Test?
Howard Thurman was famously known as one of the towering giants of American religion in the twentieth century. His writings have influenced some of the most important religious and political figures of the last century, from Martin Luther King to Barack Obama. Theologians such as James Cone and Cornel West regularly signal their indebtedness to him. He was a mystic, a preacher, an educator, a theologian, and much more. It is impossible to understand the African American church today without an appreciation for his contributions. And yet, while Thurman's name is often recognized, his seminal ideas have not received the attention they deserve. In this volume, internationally known leaders like Marian Wright Edelman, Parker Palmer, and Barbara Brown Taylor invite the reader into creative engagement with Thurman's writings. Anchored in the Current illuminates how Thurman’s life and wisdom lead these influential names on the ancient quest to connect with the Ultimate, all while discovering the contemporary need to seek racial justice and sharpening the minds and faith of those who come after us. Readers will find important and enduring answers in the works of this indispensable prophet and teacher.
#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • OPRAH’S BOOK CLUB PICK • “An instant American classic and almost certainly the keynote nonfiction book of the American century thus far.”—Dwight Garner, The New York Times The Pulitzer Prize–winning, bestselling author of The Warmth of Other Suns examines the unspoken caste system that has shaped America and shows how our lives today are still defined by a hierarchy of human divisions—now with a new Afterword by the author. #1 NONFICTION BOOK OF THE YEAR: Time ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR: The Washington Post, The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, The Boston Globe, O: The Oprah Magazine, NPR, Bloomberg, The Christian Science Monitor, New York Post, The New York Public Library, Fortune, Smithsonian Magazine, Marie Claire, Slate, Library Journal, Kirkus Reviews Winner of the Carl Sandberg Literary Award • Winner of the Los Angeles Times Book Prize • National Book Award Longlist • National Book Critics Circle Award Finalist • Dayton Literary Peace Prize Finalist • PEN/John Kenneth Galbraith Award for Nonfiction Finalist • PEN/Jean Stein Book Award Longlist • Kirkus Prize Finalist “As we go about our daily lives, caste is the wordless usher in a darkened theater, flashlight cast down in the aisles, guiding us to our assigned seats for a performance. The hierarchy of caste is not about feelings or morality. It is about power—which groups have it and which do not.” In this brilliant book, Isabel Wilkerson gives us a masterful portrait of an unseen phenomenon in America as she explores, through an immersive, deeply researched, and beautifully written narrative and stories about real people, how America today and throughout its history has been shaped by a hidden caste system, a rigid hierarchy of human rankings. Beyond race, class, or other factors, there is a powerful caste system that influences people’s lives and behavior and the nation’s fate. Linking the caste systems of America, India, and Nazi Germany, Wilkerson explores eight pillars that underlie caste systems across civilizations, including divine will, bloodlines, stigma, and more. Using riveting stories about people—including Martin Luther King, Jr., baseball’s Satchel Paige, a single father and his toddler son, Wilkerson herself, and many others—she shows the ways that the insidious undertow of caste is experienced every day. She documents how the Nazis studied the racial systems in America to plan their outcasting of the Jews; she discusses why the cruel logic of caste requires that there be a bottom rung for those in the middle to measure themselves against; she writes about the surprising health costs of caste, in depression and life expectancy, and the effects of this hierarchy on our culture and politics. Finally, she points forward to ways America can move beyond the artificial and destructive separations of human divisions, toward hope in our common humanity. Original and revealing, Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents is an eye-opening story of people and history, and a reexamination of what lies under the surface of ordinary lives and of American life today.
