Social Justice / Activism Books
in the Cornell Library
Stolen Words, by Melanie Florence
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D Is for Drum: A Native American Alphabet, by Michael Shoulders
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Milo's Museum, by Zetta Elliott
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Her Right Foot, by Dave Eggers
If you had to name a statue, any statue, odds are good you'd mention the Statue of Liberty.
Have you seen her?
She's in New York.
She's holding a torch.
And she's in mid-stride, moving forward.
But why?
In this fascinating and fun take on nonfiction, Dave Eggers and Shawn Harris investigate a seemingly small trait of America's most emblematic statue. What they find is about more than history, more than art. What they find in the Statue of Liberty's right foot is the powerful message of acceptance that is essential of an entire country's creation.
A Publishers Weekly Best Book of the Year
A School Library Journal Best Picture Book of the Year
A 2018 Orbis Pictus Award Honor Book
A Junior Library Guild selection
Seven Starred Reviews
"In a time when immigration is a hot-button issue, it's good to be reminded that Lady Liberty continues to lift her lamp beside the golden door." – Booklist, starred review
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A Fair Deal: Shopping for Social Justice, by Kari Jones
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My Night in the Planetarium : A true story about a child, a play and the art of resistance, by Innosanto Nagara
Seven year-old Innosanto's father, a famous Indonesian playwright, is in trouble with the government for his newest play's unfavorable portrayal of governmental power and corruption. After a rousing performance at a large theater complex which also houses the Jakarta Planetarium, Innosanto's father manages to sneak out of town to avoid arrest while Innosanto and his mother spend an exciting night sleeping under the stars in the Jakarta Planetarium.
A beautiful introduction to the history and culture of Indonesia, My Night at the Planetarium is an engaging, thought-provoking starting point for a discussion of colonialism, political corruption, and artistic resistance.
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50 Awesome Ways Kids Can Help Animals: Fun and Easy Ways to Be a Kind Kid, by Ingrid Newkirk
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Do Something in Your World, by Amanda Rondeau
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Heroes of the Environment: True Stories of People Who Are Helping to Protect Our Planet , by Harriet Rohmer
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The Little Book of Little Activists, by Bob Bland
You're never too young to care about your community or to stand up for your beliefs. That's the empowering message of this book, which is all about how real kids exercise their first amendment rights.
Filled with inspiring photos of children at recent demonstrations and rallies, The Little Book of Little Activists also includes inspirational quotes from kids themselves on topics of equality, diversity, and feminism, as well as an introduction by Bob Bland, co-chair of the Women's March on Washington, and an afterword by civil rights activist Lynda Blackmon Lowery, author of Turning 15 on the Road to Freedom: My Story of the 1965 Selma Voting Rights March. Five percent of gross proceeds go to benefit the Children's Defense Fund.
The Little Book of Little Activists is a child's very first introduction to political activism, presented at a level that they can understand and relate to. Perfect for parents who want to raise their kids to become participatory members of a democracy.
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Heart on Fire: Susan B. Anthony Votes for President, by Ann Malaspina
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Elizabeth Started All the Trouble, by Doreen Rappaport
She couldn't become a politician.
She couldn't even vote.
But Elizabeth Cady Stanton didn't let that stop her.
She called on women across the nation to stand together and demand to be treated as equal to men-and that included the right to vote. It took nearly seventy-five years and generations of women fighting for their rights through words, through action, and through pure determination . . . for things to slowly begin to change.
With the help of these trailblazers' own words, Doreen Rappaport's engaging text, brought to life by Matt Faulkner's vibrant illustrations, shows readers just how far this revolution has come, and inspires them to keep it going!
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Mama's Nightingale: A Story of Immigration and Separation, by Edwidge Danticat
After Saya's mother is sent to an immigration detention center, Saya finds comfort in listening to her mother's warm greeting on their answering machine. To ease the distance between them while she’s in jail, Mama begins sending Saya bedtime stories inspired by Haitian folklore on cassette tape. Moved by her mother's tales and her father's attempts to reunite their family, Saya writes a story of her own—one that just might bring her mother home for good.
With stirring illustrations, this tender tale shows the human side of immigration and imprisonment—and shows how every child has the power to make a difference.
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If the World Were a Village: A Book about the World's People, by David J. Smith
First published to wide acclaim in 2002, this eye-opening book has since become a classic, promoting ?world-mindedness? by imagining the world's population - all 6.8 billion of us - as a village of just 100 people.
Now, If the World Were a Village has been newly revised with updated statistics, several new activities and completely new material on food security, energy and health. By exploring the lives of the 100 villagers, children will discover that life in other nations is often very different from their own.
If the World Were a Village is part of CitizenKid: A collection of books that inform children about the world and inspire them to be better global citizens.
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Because I Was a Girl: True Stories for Girls of All Ages, Edited by Melissa De La Cruz
Because I Was a Girl is an inspiring collection of true stories by women and girls about the obstacles, challenges, and opportunities they've faced…because of their gender. Edited by #1 New York Times-bestselling author Melissa de la Cruz, the book is the perfect gift for girls of all ages.
The collection includes writings from an impressive array of girls and women who are trailblazers in their fields, including bestselling authors Victoria Aveyard, Libba Bray, and Margaret Stohl; industry pioneers like Dolores Huerta, Trish McEvoy, and Holly Knight; renowned chef Katie Button; aerospace and mechanical engineer Emily Calandrelli; and many more.
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The Case for Loving: The Fight for Interracial Marriage, by Selina Alko
This is the story of one brave family: Mildred Loving, Richard Perry Loving, and their three children. It is the story of how Mildred and Richard fell in love, and got married in Washington, D.C. But when they moved back to their hometown in Virginia, they were arrested (in dramatic fashion) for violating that state's laws against interracial marriage. The Lovings refused to allow their children to get the message that their parents' love was wrong and so they fought the unfair law, taking their case all the way to the Supreme Court - and won!
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Girls A History of Growing Up Female in America, by Penny Colman
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Political Activism: How You Can Make a Difference, by Heather E. Schwartz
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Gay & Lesbian History for Kids: The Century-Long Struggle for LGBT Rights, with 21 Activities , by Jerome Pollen
Given today’s news, it would be easy to get the impression that the campaign for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) equality is a recent development, but it is only the final act in a struggle that started more than a century ago. The history is told through personal stories and firsthand accounts of the movement’s key events, like the 1950s “Lavender Scare,” the Stonewall Inn uprising, and the AIDS crisis. Kids will learn about civil rights mavericks, like Dr. Magnus Hirschfeld, founder of the first gay rights organization; Phyllis Lyon and Del Martin, who turned the Daughters of Bilitis from a lesbian social club into a powerhouse for LGBT freedom; Christine Jorgensen, the nation’s first famous transgender; and Harvey Milk, the first out candidate to win a seat on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. Also chronicled are the historic contributions of famous LGBT individuals, from General von Steuben and Alan Turing to Jane Addams and Bayard Rustin, among others. This up-to-date history includes the landmark Supreme Court decision making marriage equality the law of the land. Twenty-one activities enliven the history and demonstrate the spirited ways the LGBT community has pushed for positive social change.
Kids can: write a free verse poem like Walt Whitman; learn “The Madison” line dance; remember a loved one with a quilt panel; perform a monologue from The Laramie Project; make up a song parody; and much more.
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Pride: The Story of Harvey Milk and the Rainbow Flag , by Rob Sanders
In this deeply moving and empowering true story, young readers will trace the life of the Gay Pride Flag, from its beginnings in 1978 with social activist Harvey Milk and designer Gilbert Baker to its spanning of the globe and its role in today's world. Award-winning author Rob Sanders's stirring text, and acclaimed illustrator Steven Salerno's evocative images, combine to tell this remarkable - and undertold - story. A story of love, hope, equality, and pride.
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Twelve Days in May: Freedom Ride 1961, by Larry Dane Brimmer
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What Was the March on Washington?, by Kathleen Krull
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Riding to Washington, by Gwentyth Swain
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A Dream Of Freedom: The Civil Rights Movement from 1954 to 1968, by Diane McWhorter
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Sit-In: How Four Friends Stood Up by Sitting Down, by Andrea Davis Pinkney
They didn't need menus. Their order was simple.
A doughnut and coffee, with cream on the side.
This picture book is a celebration of the 50th anniversary of the momentous Woolworth's lunch counter sit-in, when four college students staged a peaceful protest that became a defining moment in the struggle for racial equality and the growing civil rights movement.
Andrea Davis Pinkney uses poetic, powerful prose to tell the story of these four young men, who followed Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s words of peaceful protest and dared to sit at the "whites only" Woolworth's lunch counter. Brian Pinkney embraces a new artistic style, creating expressive paintings filled with emotion that mirror the hope, strength, and determination that fueled the dreams of not only these four young men, but also countless others.
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Let It Shine: Stories of Black Women Freedom Fighters, by Andrea Davis Pinkney
The lives these women led are part of an incredible story about courage in the face of oppression; about the challenges and triumphs of the battle for civil rights; and about speaking out for what you believe in--even when it feels like no one is listening. Andrea Davis Pinkney's moving text and Stephen Alcorn's glorious portraits celebrate the lives of ten bold women who lit the path to freedom for generations. Includes biographies of Sojournor Truth, Biddy Mason, Harriet Tubman, Ida B.Wells-Barnett, Mary McLeod Bethune, Ella Josephine Baker, Dorothy Irene Height, Rosa Parks, Fannie Lou Hamer, and Shirley Chisholm.
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She Stood for Freedom: the untold story of a Civil Rights Hero, Joan Trumpauer Mulholland, by Loki Mulholland
Joan Trumpauer Mulholland grew up in Virginia in the 1950s and witnessed the injustice of segregation firsthand. As a teenager, she joined the Civil Rights Movement, attending demonstrations and sit-ins. Because of her passionate belief in the cause, she was involved in several important and historically significant events, including
- The Freedom Rides of 1961
- The Woolworth's lunch counter sit-ins in Jackson, Mississippi, in 1963
- The March on Washington with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in 1963
- The Selma to Montgomery March in 1965
Joan says, "Anyone can make a difference. It doesn't matter how old or young you are. Find a problem, get some friends together, and go fix it. Remember, you don't have to change the world ... just change your world."
Filled with original photography, images of historical documents, and breathtaking artwork, She Stood for Freedom is a celebration of the effect a single life can have on the world.
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The Youngest Marcher: The Story of Audrey Faye Hendricks, a Young Civil Rights Activist , by Cynthia Levinson
Nine-year-old Audrey Faye Hendricks intended to go places and do things like anybody else.
So when she heard grown-ups talk about wiping out Birmingham’s segregation laws, she spoke up. As she listened to the preacher’s words, smooth as glass, she sat up tall. And when she heard the plan—picket those white stores! March to protest those unfair laws! Fill the jails!—she stepped right up and said, I’ll do it! She was going to j-a-a-il!
Audrey Faye Hendricks was confident and bold and brave as can be, and hers is the remarkable and inspiring story of one child’s role in the Civil Rights Movement.
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Separate Is Never Equal: Sylvia Mendez and Her Familys Fight for Desegregation (Jane Addams Award Book), by Duncan Tonatiuh
Almost 10 years before Brown vs. Board of Education, Sylvia Mendez and her parents helped end school segregation in California. An American citizen of Mexican and Puerto Rican heritage who spoke and wrote perfect English, Mendez was denied enrollment to a “Whites only” school. Her parents took action by organizing the Hispanic community and filing a lawsuit in federal district court. Their success eventually brought an end to the era of segregated education in California.
Praise for Separate is Never Equal
STARRED REVIEWS
"Tonatiuh masterfully combines text and folk-inspired art to add an important piece to the mosaic of U.S. civil rights history."
--Kirkus Reviews, starred review
“Younger children will be outraged by the injustice of the Mendez family story but pleased by its successful resolution. Older children will understand the importance of the 1947 ruling that desegregated California schools, paving the way for Brown v. Board of Education seven years later.”
--School Library Journal, starred review
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The Bus Ride that Changed History: The Story of Rosa Parks, by Pamela Duncan Edwards
In 1955, a young woman named Rosa Parks took a big step for civil rights when she refused to give up her seat on a bus for a white passenger. The bus driver told her to move. Jim Crow laws told her to move. But Rosa Parks stayed where she was, and a chain of events was set into motion that would eventually change the course of American history.
Fifty years later, The Bus Ride That Changed History retraces that chain of events—introducing the civil rights movement, one idea at a time. Take a ride through history in this unique retelling of what happened when one brave woman refused to stand up so that a white passenger could sit down.
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Martin's Dream Day, by Kitty Kelley
Martin Luther King Jr. was nervous.
Standing at the foot of the Lincoln Memorial, he was about to address 250,000 people with what would become known as his “I Have a Dream Speech”—the most famous speech of his life.
This day—August 28, 1963—was a momentous day in the Civil Rights Movement. It was the culmination of years spent leading marches, sit-ins, and boycotts across the South to bring attention to the plight of African Americans. Years spent demanding equality for all. Years spent dreaming of the day that black people would have the same rights as white people, and would be treated with the same dignity and respect. It was time for Martin to share his dream.
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Love Will See You Through: Martin Luther King Jr.'s Six Guiding Beliefs (as told by his niece), by Angela Farris Watkins, PhD
Growing up as the niece of Martin Luther King Jr., Angela Farris Watkins witnessed firsthand the principles and values that “Uncle M.L.” practiced and lived by throughout his fight for equality. Drawing from experiences and episodes both personal and well-known, Dr. Watkins artfully details the guiding beliefs of one of the greatest men in history. Including “have courage” and “love your enemies,” these six hallmarks of virtue and nonviolence reinforce the truth that “the universe honors love” and will inspire readers of all ages.
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Voice of Freedom: Fannie Lou Hamer: The Spirit of the Civil Rights Movement , by Carole Boston Weatherford
A 2016 Robert F. Sibert Honor Book
A 2016 John Steptoe New Talent Illustrator Award Winner
Stirring poems and stunning collage illustrations combine to celebrate the life of Fannie Lou Hamer, a champion of equal voting rights.
“I am sick and tired of being sick and tired.”
Despite fierce prejudice and abuse, even being beaten to within an inch of her life, Fannie Lou Hamer was a champion of civil rights from the 1950s until her death in 1977. Integral to the Freedom Summer of 1964, Ms. Hamer gave a speech at the Democratic National Convention that, despite President Johnson’s interference, aired on national TV news and spurred the nation to support the Freedom Democrats. Featuring vibrant mixed-media art full of intricate detail, Voice of Freedomcelebrates Fannie Lou Hamer’s life and legacy with a message of hope, determination, and strength.
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Social Justice: How You Can Make a Difference , by Lynn Bogen Sanders
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A is for Activist, by Innosanto Nagara
The alliteration, rhyming, and vibrant illustrations make the book exciting for children, while the issues it brings up resonate with their parents' values of community, equality, and justice. This engaging little book carries huge messages as it inspires hope for the future, and calls children to action while teaching them a love for books.
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Brave Girl: Clara and the Shirtwaist Makers' Strike of 1909, by Michelle Markel
The true story of the young immigrant who led the largest strike of women workers in U.S. history.
This picture book biography about Ukrainian immigrant Clara Lemlich tackles topics like activism and the U.S. garment industry. The art, by Caldecott Honor winner Melissa Sweet, beautifully incorporates stitching and fabric. A bibliography and an author's note on the garment industry are included.
When Clara arrived in America, she couldn't speak English. She didn't know that young women had to go to work, that they traded an education for long hours of labor, that she was expected to grow up fast.
But that didn't stop Clara. She went to night school, spent hours studying English, and helped support her family by sewing in a shirtwaist factory.
Clara never quit, and she never accepted that girls should be treated poorly and paid little. Fed up with the mistreatment of her fellow laborers, Clara led the largest walkout of women workers the country had seen.
From her short time in America, Clara learned that everyone deserved a fair chance. That you had to stand together and fight for what you wanted. And, most importantly, that you could do anything you put your mind to.
This picture book biography about the plight of immigrants in America in the early 1900s and the timeless fight for equality and justice should not be missed.
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That's Not Fair!/¡No Es Justo!: Emma Tenayuca's Struggle for Justice/La lucha de Emma Tenayuca por la justicia (Spanish and English Edition), by Carmen Tafolla
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Fannie Never Flinched: One Womans Courage in the Struggle for American Labor Union Rights, by Mary Cronk Farrell
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