Civil Rights Movement: Bibliography
Allen, Zita. Black Woman Leaders of the Civil Rights Movement. Danbury, Connecticut:
Grolier Publishing, 1996.
Altman,Linda Jacobs.Amelia's Road.New York:Lee & Low Books, Inc.,1993.
Constantly on the move, Amelia's family records events by crops not dates,
carries with them only what will fit in the car, and are never anywhere long enough to
feel at home. The girl longs for a place to stay, a place where she belongs. Teachers
rarely bother to learn her name, so when Mrs. Ramos does so, it is special. The child's
picture of a white house with a big shade tree earns a beautiful red star. On the way
home, she discovers a road leading to a tree just like the one she drew. She visits this
place often, and buries a small metal box filled with her treasures there when she must
leave. For the first time in her life, Amelia has a home place.
Anand, Bernadette. Keeping the Struggle Alive; Studying Desegregation in Our Town.
New York: Teachers College Press, 2002.
Beals,Melba Pattillo.Warriors Don't Cry.Riverside, NJ:Simon & Schuster Adult
Publishing Group,1994.
In 1957 Melba Pattillo turned sixteen. That was also the year she became a
warrior on the front lines of a civil rights firestorm. Following the landmark 1954
Supreme Court ruling, Brown v. Board Education, she was one of nine teenagers chosen
to integrate Little Rock's Central High School. This is her remarkable story.
Blake,John.Children of the Movement.Chicago:Chicago Review Press, Inc.,2004.
The book presents intimate stories of families who were pulled apart by the
horrors of the struggle or brought together by their efforts to change America. The
parents were fighting a battle to shape America for future generations, but many failed
to realize the effects their involvement would have on their own children.
Bolden, Tonya. Tell All the Children Our Story: Memories and Mementoes of Being
Young and Black in America. New York: Harry N. Abrams, Inc., 2001
Bridges, Ruby. Through My Eyes. New York: Scholastic Press, 1999.
Autobiography of Ruby Bridges’ school integration experience in New Orleans.
In November 1960, all of America watched as a tiny six-year-old black girl, surrounded
by federal Marshall's, walked through a mob of screaming segregationists and into her
school. An icon of the civil rights movement, Ruby Bridges chronicles each dramatic
step of this pivotal event in history.
Carawan, Candie and Thomas. Sing For Freedom (The story of the civil Rights
Movement through its songs). Bethlehem, PA: Sing Out Publishers.
Cobblestone children’s magazine. From Montgomery to Birmingham. February 2002.
Curtis, Christopher Paul. The Watsons Go To Birmingham. New York: Delacorte Press,
1995.
Davis, Daniel S.Mr. Black labor; The Story of A. Philip Randolph,: Father of The Civil
Rights Movement. New York:Lerner Publishing Group,1993.
This well-researched study, focusing exclusively on Randolph's career, chronicles
his efforts in the 1940s to integrate the armed forces and schools, and his unremitting
struggle to achieve economic parity for blacks through fair employment practices.
Del Castillo, Richard Griswold. Cesar Chavez: The Struggle for Justice. Houston, TX:
Pinata Books, Arte Publico Press, 2002.
Children’s book and biography of the civil rights leader who campaigned for
better working conditions for migrant farm workers.
Finlayson, Reggie. We Shall Overcome: The History of the American Civil Rights
Movement. Minneapolis: Lerner Publications Company, 2003.
Freedman,Russell.The Voice That Challenged a Nation: Marian Anderson and the
Struggle for Equal Rights.Boston, MA:Houghton Mifflin Company,2004.
This insightful account of the great African American vocalist considers her life and
musical career in the context of the history of civil rights in this country. Drawing on
Anderson's own writings and other contemporary accounts, Russell Freedman shows
readers a singer pursuing her art despite the social constraints that limited the careers
of black performers in the 1920s and 1930s.
Hoobler, Dorothy and Thomas. The Chinese American Family Album. New York:
Oxford University Press, 1994.
Informational book and reference guide to the history of Chinese Americans.
Other books in the “family album” series include The African-American Family Album
and The Jewish American Family Album.
Hughes, Langston. Black Misery. New York: Oxford University Press, 1994.
Poems first published in 1969 – one sentence captions of a black child in the
1960’s.
King, Casey and Linda Barrett Osborne. Oh, Freedom! Kids Talk about the Civil Rights
Movement with the People Who Made it Happen. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, Inc.,
1997.
Kozol, Jonathan. Savage Inequalities. New York: Crown Publishers Inc., 1991.
Lyon, Danny. Memories of the Southern Civil Rights Movement. Chapel Hill, NC: The University of North Carolina Press, 1992.
Krull,Kathleen.Harvesting Hope.San Diego:Harcourt, Inc.,2003.
A biography of Cesar Chavez, from age ten when he and his family lived happily
on their Arizona ranch, to age thirty-eight when he led a peaceful protest against
California migrant workers' miserable working conditions.
Littlesugar, Amy and Floyd Cooper. Freedom School, Yes! New York: Philomel Books,
2001.
Picture book of story about the 1964 Mississippi freedom school summer project.
Litwin, Laura Baskes. Fannie Lou Hamer: Fighting for the Right to Vote. Berkeley
Heights, NJ: Enslow Publishers, Inc., 2002.
Part of a biographical series; story of a woman who became involved in the legal
right to vote.
McKissack,Patricia,andPatriciaMcKissack.Civil Rights Movement in America.New York:Scholastic Library Publishing,1987.
From the beginning of Reconstruction to the present, traces the struggle of blacks
to gain their civil rights in America, with a brief comparison of their problems to those
of other minorities.
McWhorter,Diane.A Dream of Freedom: The Civil Rights Movement From 1954-1968.
New York:Scholastic,2004.
In this history of the modern Civil Rights movement, Pulitzer Prize-winning
author Diane McWhorter focuses on the monumental events that occurred between
1954 (the year of Brown versus the Board of Education) and 1968 (the year that Dr.
Martin Luther King, Jr. was assasinated). Beginning with an overview of the movement
since the end of the Civil War, McWhorter also discusses such events as the 1956 MTGS
bus boycott, the 1961 Freedom Rides, and the 1963 demonstration in Birmingham,
Alabama, among others.
Meltzer,Milton.The Black Americans: A history in their own words, 1619-1983.New
York:Harper Collins,1987.
A history of African-Americans in the US as told through letters, speeches, articles, eyewitness accounts, etc. 1619-1983.
Miller, William. Richard Wright and the Library Card. New York: Lee and Low Books,
1997.
Picture book about a boy who was not allowed to borrow library books in the
segregated South of the 1920’s.
Mitchell, Margaree King. Granddaddy’s Gift. Bridgewater Paperback, Troll
Communications L.L.C., 1997.
Children’s book about granddaddy becoming the first registered voter in a small
Mississippi town.
Mitchell, Margaree King. Uncle Jed’s Barbershop. New York: Scholastic, Inc., 1993.
Picture book about a girl’s uncle who sacrificed his life savings to secure medical
treatment for his niece.
Morrison,Toni.Remember.Boston, MA:Houghton Mifflin Company,2004.
Toni Morrison has collected a treasure chest of archival photographs that depict
the historical events surrounding school desegregation. These unforgettable images
serve as the inspiration for Ms. Morrison’s text—a fictional account of the dialogue and
emotions of the children who lived during the era of "separate but equal" schooling.
Remember is a unique pictorial and narrative journey that introduces children to a
watershed period in American history and its relevance to us today. Remember will be
published on the 50th anniversary of the groundbreaking Brown v. Board of Education
Supreme Court decision ending legal school segregation, handed down on May 17,
1954.
Parks,Rosa,et.al.Rosa Parks: My Story.New York:Puffin,1999.
Rosa Parks is best known for the day she refused to give up her seat on a
segregated bus, sparking the Montgomery, Alabama, bus boycott. Yet there is much
more to her story than this one act of defiance. In this straightforward, compelling
autobiography, Rosa Parks talks candidly about the civil rights movement and her
active role in it. Her dedication is inspiring; her story is unforgettable.
Parks, Rosa with Gregory Reed. Dear Mrs. Parks: A Dialogue with Today’s Youth.
New York: Lee and Low Books, Inc., 1996.
Collections of letters to Rosa Parks and her responses over the past 40 years.
Polacco, Patricia. Mr. Lincoln’s Way. New York: Penguin Putnam Books for Young
Readers, 2001
Mr. Lincoln is the cool kind of principal that everyone loves, except for Eugene
Esterhause. “Mean Gene” hates everyone who is different from himself. This is a
powerful story of a boy who needs a way out of trouble and the principal who guides
him.
Rappaport,Doreen.Martin's Big Words.New York:Hyperion Books for Children,2001.
In this elegant pictorial biography of Martin Luther King Jr., author Doreen
Rappaport combines her spare, lyrical text with King's own words for an effective, age-
appropriate portrayal of one of the world's greatest civil rights leaders. From King's
youth, when he looked up to his preacher father and vowed one day to "get big words,
too," to his death at a garbage workers' strike ("On his second day there, he was shot.
He died."), Rappaport imbues the story with reverence.
Ringgold,Faith.If A Bus Could Talk.New York:Aladdin Paperbacks,2002.
If a bus could talk, it would tell the story of a young African-American girl named
Rosa who had to walk miles to her one-room schoolhouse in Alabama while white
children rode to their school in a bus. It would tell how the adult Rosa rode to and from
work on a segregated city bus and couldn't sit in the same row as a white person. It
would tell of the fateful day when Rosa refused to give up her seat to a white man and
how that act of courage inspired others around the world to stand up for freedom.
Ritter, Lawrence. Leagues Apart: The Men and Times of the Negro Baseball Leagues.
New York: Mulberry Paperback Book, 1995.
Rochelle, Belinda. Witnesses to Freedom: Young People Who Fought for Civil Rights.
New York: Lodestar Books, 1993.
Stories of young African-Americans who actively participated in the Civil Rights
Movement.
Ryan, Pam Munoz. When Marian Sang. New York: Scholastic Press, 2002.
Beautifully illustrated children’s book about Marian Anderson (Voice of a
Century). Unquestionably one of the world's greatest singers, Marian Anderson
was not known well in her own country. Because she was African-American, she was
unable to sing in some of this country’s most famous halls. But in Europe, she sang for
kings, queens, and other world leaders. This book chronicles her life, from her love of
singing as a child to her debut, finally, with the Metropolitan Opera. Also included are
historical notes and notable dates in Marian’s life. The illustrations tell of the hope
and deep feelings in Marian’s music.
Shaw,Maura D..Ten Amazing People And How They Changed the World.Woodstock,
VT:Skylight Paths Publishing,2002.
Ten Amazing People is an inspirational nonfiction picture book, profiling the lives
of ten great and influential people: Black Elk, Dorothy Day, Malcolm X, Martin Luther
King Jr., Janusz Korczak, Mahatma Gandhi, Mother Teresa of Calcutta, Albert
Schweitzer, Thich Nhat Hanh, and Desmond Tutu. An enlightening survey of real-life
role models.
Soto,Gary.Cesar Chavez: A Hero for Everyone.Riverside, NJ:Simon & Schuster
Children's,2003.
Up and down the San Joaquin Valley of California, and across the country,
people chanted these words. Cesar Chavez, a migrant worker himself, was helping
Mexican Americans work together for better wages, for better working conditions, for
better lives. No one thought they could win against the rich and powerful growers. But
Cesar was out to prove them wrong -- and that he did.
Soto,Gary.Jessie de la Cruz: A Profile of a United Farm Worker.New York:Persea
Books,2002.
The remarkable story of the UFW's first woman organizer, eloquently written for
young adults. Here is a quiet hero--a farm worker who walked the fields of the San
Joaquin Valley for nearly half a century. Her name is Jessie De La Cruz. Much like
other farm workers who threw down their hoes and their grape knives to fight for their
rights as workers, she made a difference in the world.
Staples,Suzanne Fisher.Dangerous Skies.New York:Farrar, Straus and Giroux,1996.
Along the Virginia shoreline where their families have lived for generations, Buck
and Tunes Smith defy tradition. Raised together like brother and sister, they are bound
by surname, but not by skin color. And just as Buck has come to rely on Tunes, Tunes
has come to trust that even in a place where race can mean so much, their friendship
will remain as dependable as the tides.
Taylor,Mildred D.The Gold Cadillac.New York:Dial Books,1987.
Lois and Wilma are proud of their father's brand-new gold Cadillac, and excited
that the family will be driving it all the way from Ohio to Mississippi. But as they travel
deeper into the rural South, there are no admiring glances for the shiny new car--only
suspicion and anger for the black man behind the wheel. For the first time in their lives,
Lois and her sister know what it's like to feel scared because of the color of their skin.
Turek, Mary. The Civil Rights Movement for Kids. Chicago, IL: Chicago Review
Press, 2000.
Walter, Mildred Pitts. Mississippi Challenge. New York: Aladdin Paperbacks, 1992.
Welch, Catherine. Children of the Civil Rights Era. Minneapolis: Carolrhoda Books,
Inc., 2001.
Collection of stories of young people who fought for civil rights in the 1950’s and
1960’s. Account of the Civil Rights Movement told in a series of 31 interviews
conducted by children with family members, friends and civil rights activists.
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