Honoring the Women of the Movement- Selected Reading

Books compiled by Bryn Mawr Librarians Patti Rickert-Wilbur and Claire Hruban, and Caitlin Christ, director of The Fund for Bryn Mawr.

Child of the Civil Rights Movement by Paula Young Shelton and Raul Colon (Ages 4-8). Paula Young Shelton shares her memories of marching alongside of Martin Luther King and Coretta Scott King with her father, Andrew Young.

The Youngest Marcher: The Story of Audrey Faye Hendricks, a Young Civil Rights Activist, by Cynthia Levinson (Ages 5-9). A beautifully written and illustrated book on the youngest child to be arrested during the Children’s March.

Little Leaders: Bold Women in Black History by Vashti Harrison (Ages 7-12). Includes profiles and illustrations of 40 African American women who have helped change the world.

Young, Gifted and Black: Meet 52 Black Heroes from Past and Present by Jamia Wilson and Andrea Pippins (Ages 8-13). An illustrated collective biography of 52 diverse black leaders.

We Who Believe in Freedom: The Life and Times of Ella Baker (True Tales for Young Readers) by Lea E. Williams (Ages 8 and up). Baker was an important activist and organizer, best known for challenging unfair policies as a student at Shaw University. She was a founder of the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee and involved in several other civil rights organizations.

Claudette Colvin:Twice Toward Justice by Phillip Hoose (Ages 10-14). Nine months before Rosa Parks did so, Claudette Colvin refused to give up her seat on a bus to a white woman. This is her story.

We’ve Got a Job: The 1963 Birmingham Children’s March by Cynthia Levinson (Ages 10-15). Tells the story of four young people, two boys and two girls, who participated in the Birmingham Children’s March.

Ida B. Wells-Barnett: Crusader Against Lynching by Elaine Slivinski Lisandrelli (Ages 11 and up). Born a slave, Wells devoted her life to fighting injustice. She was a journalist, educator and one of the founders of the NAACP.

Fight On: Mary Terrell’s Battle for Integration by Dennis Brindell Fradin and Judith Bloom Fradin (Age 11-14). A compelling account of the life of activist, Mary Terrell, whose career spanned 60 years. The book is filled with reproductions of archival material.

Shirley Chisholm: Catalyst for Change (Lives of American Women) by Barbara Winslow (Ages 13 and up). A succinct biography of the first African -American woman to be elected to Congress and to seriously run for President.

The Life and Legacy of Mary McLeod Bethune by Nancy Ann Zrinyi Long (Age 13 and up). The fascinating story of Dr. Mary Bethune as told by the author with interviews from her children and former students.

Unbought and Unbossed: Expanded 40th Anniversary Edition by Shirley Chisholm (Ages 13 and up). Chisholm, the first black woman elected to Congress speaks out on her life. This expanded 40th anniversary edition delves more deeply into her impact on today’s world.

Freedom's Daughters: The Unsung Heroines of the Civil Rights Movement from 1830 to 1970 by Lynne Olson (Ages 13 and up). Includes profiles of over sixty women who were crucial to the success of the civil rights movement.

Women, Race and Class by Angela Y. Davis (Ages 13 and up). Prominent activist, Angela Davis, examines how the Women’s Movement has historically been hampered by the biases of its leaders.

Lighting the Fires of Freedom: African American Women in the Civil Rights Movement by Janet Dewart Bell (Ages 13 and up). A collection of oral histories by nine African American women prominent in the civil rights movement. Published to coincide with the 50th anniversary of the Civil Rights Act of 1968.

Mary McLeod Bethune: Building a Better World, Essays and Selected Documents Edited by Audrey McCluskey (Ages 13 and up). Explores Mary McLeod Bethune in her roles as stateswoman, politician, educational leader, and social visionary using a unique combination of original documentary sources and analysis of Bethune’s life and work.

Ain’t I a Woman: Black:Women and Feminism by bell hooks (Ages 14 and up). In hooks’ classic book she examines the impact of sexism and racism on black women.

Hands on the Freedom Plough:Personal Accounts by Women in the SNCC Edited by Faith S. Holsaert, Martha Prescod, Norman Noonan, Judy Richardson et al (Ages 13 and up). Fifty-two women share their stories of working for the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) during the Civil Rights Movement.

Ella Baker and the Black Freedom Movement: A Radical Democratic Vision (Gender and American Culture) by Barbara Ransby (Ages 14 and up). A readable and scholarly biography of one of the most important women in the civil rights movement. Baker was a founder of Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee and was involved in several other civil rights organizations.

Articles on Marielle Franco

Marielle Franco was an unusual face in Brazilian politics. She was black, outspokenly feminist and grew up in a poor neighborhood in Rio. March 16, 2018, NPR Morning Edition, audio and transcript “Brazilian Activist Killed In Drive-By Shooting.” (Ages 11 and up).

“The Assassination of Brazilian Politician Marielle Franco Turned Her into a Global Icon.” Time. March 22, 2018. (Ages 13 and up)

“Marielle Franco: Vivacious Fighter Shaped by the Favela.” BBC News. March 22, 2018. (Ages 13 and up)