We’ve Got a Job: The 1963 Birmingham Children’s March
CCBC Review:
Cynthia Levinson illuminates the pivotal role that older children and teens played in Birmingham Civil Rights protests in early May 1963. When adults were reluctant to march and fill the jails, youth took up the call. Their willingness to do so inspired adults who had been hesitant to protest for a number of reasons, from fear of physical repercussions to the possibility of losing their jobs to disagreement among leaders in the Black community regarding the right course of action. When the youth marched, the violent response of police and fire departments under Bull Connor ignited the broader public and the media. Levinson’s account returns repeatedly to the experience of four African American youth who participated in the marches, three of them teenagers, and one, Audrey Hendrickson, only nine years old, and the youngest to be arrested. Their backgrounds and stories provide insight into class differences within the Black community, while the larger narrative also speaks to differences in how Black and white youth experienced this tumultuous time. A final chapter provides an account of the lives of all four since that time. Detailed source notes and a bibliography conclude this inspiring volume. ©2012 Cooperative Children's Book Center
CCBC Age Recommendation: Age 12 and older
Age Range:
Grades 6-8 (Ages 11-13)
Grades 9-12 (Age 14 and older)
Format:
Substantial Narrative Non-Fiction
Subjects:
20th Century
Activism and Resistance
African Americans
Civil Rights
History (Nonfiction)
Racism
Diversity subject:
Black/African
Publisher:
Peachtree
Publish Year: 2012
Pages: 176
ISBN: 9781561456277
CCBC Location: Non-Fiction, 323 Levinson