Revolution in Our Time: the Black Panthers' rise, fall & legacy today

 

Kekla Magoon's young adult, nonfiction book, Revolution in Our Time, about the history of the Black Panthers, their enduring struggle for progress in their lifetimes and the recurring themes in the modern-day American society is a poignant informational book that benefits everyone who reads it.  

The Black Panther Party played a large role in pushing back against racist policies in communities, however, the media portrayal focused on the sensational aspects rather than the multi-faceted parts of the movement that actually helped communities.  This is where Magoon's book comes in to set the record straight on how women and children were the focus in order to provide for their basic needs while in poverty.  

The book starts out when in 1967 a group of Black Panthers walked onto the floor of the California State Legislature to express their position on Black people being able to defend themselves against unlawful attacks.  How did this group form and come to this pivotable moment when they were splashed in headlines all around the country?  Magoon then takes the reader back to 1619 until 1965 and summarizes how Black people have endured inhumane treatment up until 1965.  She explains the group's formation in 1966 during the Civil Rights Movement and how they grew in numbers all while being targeted by law enforcement and the FBI.  Magoon finishes the book by going full circle to when the group disbanded in 1982 until the present day struggles for the same protection under the law that was the cornerstone of their platform from their formation. 

It reminded me a lot of Stamped: Racism, Antiracism and You and You Call This Democracy?, both written with a young adult audience in mind.  Our youth deserve to know the historical events that have led our country to the state it is in and how they can help improve their world by not repeating mistakes of the past and recognizing what has worked before.  This is an excellent book for teens and adults to read together and use it study the figures and events on their own.  Full of photographs, quotes, and a storytelling technique that will leave a lasting impression in the mind and heart of the reader, this should be shared and discussed by all who care about Black people.

Click HERE for my book review of this book.

HERE is a short video of Kekla Magoon discussing her book.

If you have middle grade readers (ages 8 - 14) who'd like to learn more about The Black Panthers I'd recommend Rita Garcia-Williams' award winning trilogy:

Making Interracial Marriage Legal: Loving Vs. Virginia

 

According to Britannica.com, Loving v. Virginia, legal case, decided on June 12, 1967, in which the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously (9–0) struck down state antimiscegenation statutes in Virginia as unconstitutional under the equal protection and due process clauses of the Fourteenth Amendment.

A middle grades, historical fiction, novel-in-verse, Loving Vs. Virginia by Patricia Hruby Powell and illustrated by Shadra Strickland,  tells the story of a civil rights topic that has everlasting effects on the U.S.  

In the 1950s a majority of the country had laws against people of different races marrying.  Through this story the reader learns of Mildred (Millie), a young Black woman who lives in Virginia with her large family out in the country.  They farm, run a business and love playing music and dancing with their friends.  Richard, a young white man, is one of those friends who grew up with Millie.  As they get older they fall in love and have two babies.  They go to Washington D.C. to get married but are arrested after they return to Virginia.

Told in alternating viewpoints, the story unfolds as Rich and Millie Loving become outspoken about their right to marry and live in Virginia with their family.  Their tale is interspersed with primary sources that take place alongside their landmark Supreme Court case.  Moving, tender, and honest, every teen should read this book to understand more about the history of race relations and civil rights in this country. 

Watch a video interview of the creators of this book HERE.

The Awakening of Malcom X: a novel

 

The Awakening of Malcom X by Ilyasah Shabazz with Tiffany D. Jackson is a moving narrative biography that focuses on the years that X spent in prison from ages 20 to 27,  where he learned about the teachings of Islam and was shaped into the person he became to lead the Nation of Islam. 

"Wake up, Malcom!"

 Told in three parts from the first time he steps into the horrendous prison in Charlestown where he loses the willingness to improve his mind, to part two where he is enlightened by self-education in the library and his family's support, and concludes with part three where he gets transferred to a better facility in Norfolk where he joins the debate team.  Throughout his time in prison he has flashbacks to his family and reflected on ways he can help his people be free.

"Up, up you mighty race!"

I was already familiar with Malcom X's teachings and speeches, however, the way that he came to the religion was new information.  Since Shabazz is his daughter she had first-hand knowledge of the letters he wrote back and forth with his family and with Elijah Muhammad.  The part that stood out to me was when he discovers that, "even a crumb of dignity can change the way you look at the world and the way you see yourself in it."  Once he was given the chance to prove his worth to his fellow inmates and to the outside world, he only wanted to inspire others to follow suit.  

"Everybody needs their family, Malcom. We're always with you. Don't ever forget that."

This story sparks a lot of questions for students and even adults.  They can delve deeper into Malcom X's speeches and what happened to his position in the Nation of Islam.  Inquiry into the role of prisons and incarcerated people can also stem from this story.  Finally, the role he had in the Civil Rights Movement can also be explored further. 

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s Legacy: celebrating stories of change year round

 

Although Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s birthday is a federal holiday observed every January in the United States, his legacy continues to be honored through stories all year round.  Here is my round-up of excellent reads for elementary through middle school aged readers.

Kindergarten-3rd grade Picture Books

• Pies from Nowhere: How Georgia Gilmore Sustained the Montgomery Bus Boycott by Dee Romito and Laura Freeman
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

This is a picture book biography that tells the story of Georgia Gilmore and the other women in the Club from Nowhere who supplied food for civil rights workers and who raised money for gas and cars during the bus boycotts in Montgomery, Alabama.

• Back of the Bus by Aaron Reynolds and Floyd Cooper

Most young people can recount the story of Rosa Parks and the stand she took that day in 1955 to refuse to give up her seat on the bus.  This picture book story is told from the perspective of a young Black boy who is on the bus that day and witnesses the arrest of Rosa Parks.

• William Still and His Freedom Stories: the Father of the Underground Railroad by Don Tate

Although William Still lived before the time of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., this picture book biography can still be shared with young people.  It tells the story of William Still who was an abolitionist, writer, historian, conductor of the Underground Railroad, and a civil rights activist.  The publisher has a teacher's guide and other resources for this moving nonfiction book.

• A Ride to Remember by Sharon Langley, Amy Nathan and Floyd Cooper

Children will be able to relate to this account of Sharon Langley's experience as a child in 1963 when she was unable to go to an amusement park in her community in Maryland because of the color of her skin.  This picture book tells how her family helped to organize against segregation and what it took for her to be the first Black person to take a ride on the carousel in the park.  What is especially neat is that the horse that she rode on is on display in Washington D.C. to commemorate the efforts of the civil rights activists who organized against segregation. One of the authors, Amy Nathan, has a website with more resources.

• The Youngest Marcher: the Story of Audrey Faye Hendricks, a Young Civil Rights Activist by Cynthia Levinson and Vanessa Brantley Newton

In May of 1963, 3,000 children and teenagers were arrested for civil rights protests in Birmingham, Alabama.  One of those children arrested was Audrey Faye Hendricks.  This biography picture book tells her story.  The author, Cynthia Levinson's website has more resources. 

4th grade-6th grade Chapter and Picture Books

• Let the Children March by Monica Clark-Robinson and Frank Morrison

This picture book pairs well with The Youngest Marcher in that it explains how under the leadership of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., children and teenagers marched against segregation in Birmingham, Alabama in 1963.  There are numerous teaching resources that go with this book.

• Ellington Was Not a Street by Ntozake Shange and Kadir Nelson

This is an illustrated poem where the author, Ntozake Shange, recalls her childhood growing up in the company of great African American men who were instrumental in changing American culture and society.  When I have used this book with students, they each took one person named in the book and researched to find out more about them.  Then they shared what they learned with their classmates. There are additional resources for this book.

• Child of the Dream: a Memoir of 1963 by Sharon Robinson

In 1963 Jackie Robinson's daughter turned 13 and she witnessed her parents doing everything they could to help Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and the Civil Rights Movement from their home in rural Connecticut.  Being one of two Black students at her school, Sharon is struggling with fitting in and finding her voice.  She remembers school dances, riding her horse, and going to camp while The Children's March shocked the world in Birmingham, Alabama.  Her photos and stories of that year shine a new perspective to the stories of that time period.  This chapter book is full of topics that go beyond history: coming of age and individuality.

• Memphis, Martin and the Mountaintop: the Sanitation Strike of 1968 by Alice Fay Duncan and R. Gregory Christie

This picture book tells the story of the Sanitation Workers Strike in Memphis, Tennessee where Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. gave his final speech to strike workers the night before his assassination.  When I share this book with students we listen to his speech afterwards and discuss his message.  

Does it still resonate with us today?