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The Legacy of Jim Crow
"A powerful series that fills in the cracks and illuminates the shadows of the past." -Sherri L. Smith, award-winning author of Flygirl
Introducing a new nonfiction series for the next generation of activists, uncovering the hidden history of the United States through an anti-racist lens.
The true story of the discriminatory laws and ideas that affected African American life for generations.
In the late nineteenth century, white lawmakers in the United States created a set of policies, collectively called "Jim Crow," that created segregated facilities, like schools and parks, for African Americans in the South.
But Jim Crow-type policies didn't just affect the South. These policies have had far-reaching effects across America, impacting where Black people live, how they're treated by the criminal justice system, and how they're portrayed in TV and film.
The Legacy of Jim Crow explores the details that have far too often been covered up, along with exclusive interviews with experts, including Pulitzer Prize-winning author Jeffrey C. Stewart.
Introducing a new nonfiction series for the next generation of activists, uncovering the hidden history of the United States through an anti-racist lens.
The true story of the discriminatory laws and ideas that affected African American life for generations.
In the late nineteenth century, white lawmakers in the United States created a set of policies, collectively called "Jim Crow," that created segregated facilities, like schools and parks, for African Americans in the South.
But Jim Crow-type policies didn't just affect the South. These policies have had far-reaching effects across America, impacting where Black people live, how they're treated by the criminal justice system, and how they're portrayed in TV and film.
The Legacy of Jim Crow explores the details that have far too often been covered up, along with exclusive interviews with experts, including Pulitzer Prize-winning author Jeffrey C. Stewart.
144 pages, Paperback
Published February 15, 2022
About the author
Clarence A. Haynes
6 books113 followers"With its inventive premise, compelling mystery and richly drawn characters, 'The Broken Hearts Agency' delivers a haunting and emotionally resonant story that stands out in both the mystery and urban fantasy genres."—Seattle Times
A native New Yorker and Columbia University grad, Clarence A. Haynes is the author of the urban fantasy/genre blends novels The Ghosts of Gwendolyn Montgomery and The Broken Hearts Agency. He's also the cowriter of Omar Epps’s lauded YA sci-fi/fantasy title Nubia: The Awakening and its sequel The Reckoning. And he's the author of the nonfiction work The Legacy of Jim Crow, which breaks down the history of discriminatory laws in America for young readers.
Having a love affair with speculative fiction, Clarence has also worked as a developmental editor with different publishing houses. He lives in Brooklyn.
A native New Yorker and Columbia University grad, Clarence A. Haynes is the author of the urban fantasy/genre blends novels The Ghosts of Gwendolyn Montgomery and The Broken Hearts Agency. He's also the cowriter of Omar Epps’s lauded YA sci-fi/fantasy title Nubia: The Awakening and its sequel The Reckoning. And he's the author of the nonfiction work The Legacy of Jim Crow, which breaks down the history of discriminatory laws in America for young readers.
Having a love affair with speculative fiction, Clarence has also worked as a developmental editor with different publishing houses. He lives in Brooklyn.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
March 18, 2022
In The Legacy of Jim Crow, author Clarence A. Haynes provides an excellent, compact description and history of institutionalized racism in the United States by examining the judicial as well as social factors that have helped keeping it alive until today; slavery laws, oppression and policing methods, housing discrimination and representation in culture.
Dispersed between the texts and encaged in gray boxes, certain terms, events, questions and people that deserve special attention are highlighted and explained which was super useful. Although this book is listed as a middle grade book, the uncomplicated language and the cordial tone make it suitable for people of any age and especially also for people whose first language isn’t English or people from outside the country, people like me, who seek to learn about this painful side of the USA. I know that I personally learned a lot from it! I also really appreciate the recommended media list!
Dispersed between the texts and encaged in gray boxes, certain terms, events, questions and people that deserve special attention are highlighted and explained which was super useful. Although this book is listed as a middle grade book, the uncomplicated language and the cordial tone make it suitable for people of any age and especially also for people whose first language isn’t English or people from outside the country, people like me, who seek to learn about this painful side of the USA. I know that I personally learned a lot from it! I also really appreciate the recommended media list!
May 7, 2022
Aimed at middle school students, this is a well organized, clearly written explanation of Jim Crow and its impact to this day. Each chapter focuses on the vocabulary, closer looks at specific moments, people, and areas of history, as well as explanations of specific terminology. At the end of each chapter are discussion questions to encourage further conversation about each aspect learned in each chapter. Recommended media, works of fiction and nonfiction at the end of the book provide further reading and resources. A great resource that needs to be in each and every middle school library.
December 3, 2022
Haynes writes a book that does more than explain the strictest and oldest definition of "Jim Crow" laws. He discusses the many ways that Black people in the US / African Americans (he alternates the use of these terms) deal with laws, policies, and cultural traditions that prevent them from participating as equals.
He provides the context of slavery that occurred for four centuries before the end of the Civil War and then explains the Jim Crow laws set up to restrict the rights of Blacks despite their being declared free US citizens. There were laws that restricted owning property, laws that applied heavy taxes to Black business owners, poll taxes and literacy tests for voting, and so forth.
Haynes also talks about the high imprisonment rates for Blacks with stop and frisk laws as well as sentencing patterns impacting Blacks and other people of color more dramatically than whites. There is also an explanation of redlining (bank loan policies that decreased the value of property in Black neighborhoods).
There are a few photographs of documents, some textboxes, and a few charts to help break up the text. However, it's pretty heavy with just words to communicate the information. Young readers who are much more visual / multimedia learners may have trouble doing a straight-through reading. They might get in the internet here and there to look at short videos about some of the events described therein.
Some of this information was new to me. Much of this information was not taught to me in the 1960s and 1970s when I was in public schools. And my children did not learn much of this when they were in public school in the 2000s and 2010s.
At 134 pages (with a 13 point-ish font) this is a good length with a lot of information but without becoming overwhelming for readers who may have no background on race in the US.
I can see independent readers ages 10 to 15 as ideal for this book. If I were a parent or a teacher, I would offer support to help students adapt to the idea that the Statue of Liberty and documents such as the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution taught freedom and democracy but the practices in law, politics, business, and even churches in the US did not uphold these ideals.
He provides the context of slavery that occurred for four centuries before the end of the Civil War and then explains the Jim Crow laws set up to restrict the rights of Blacks despite their being declared free US citizens. There were laws that restricted owning property, laws that applied heavy taxes to Black business owners, poll taxes and literacy tests for voting, and so forth.
Haynes also talks about the high imprisonment rates for Blacks with stop and frisk laws as well as sentencing patterns impacting Blacks and other people of color more dramatically than whites. There is also an explanation of redlining (bank loan policies that decreased the value of property in Black neighborhoods).
There are a few photographs of documents, some textboxes, and a few charts to help break up the text. However, it's pretty heavy with just words to communicate the information. Young readers who are much more visual / multimedia learners may have trouble doing a straight-through reading. They might get in the internet here and there to look at short videos about some of the events described therein.
Some of this information was new to me. Much of this information was not taught to me in the 1960s and 1970s when I was in public schools. And my children did not learn much of this when they were in public school in the 2000s and 2010s.
At 134 pages (with a 13 point-ish font) this is a good length with a lot of information but without becoming overwhelming for readers who may have no background on race in the US.
I can see independent readers ages 10 to 15 as ideal for this book. If I were a parent or a teacher, I would offer support to help students adapt to the idea that the Statue of Liberty and documents such as the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution taught freedom and democracy but the practices in law, politics, business, and even churches in the US did not uphold these ideals.
July 17, 2022
This is one title among a series of very accessible and essential books that take on tough topics with research, references, accuracy, and accountability, minus unnecessary drama or opinions. While leading a discussion with high school students last year, I encountered many who "knew" the phrase "JIM CROW" but had formed wildly distorted definitions of that phrase based on inferring from context.
The phrase has become part of everyday discussions in our current times, but rarely has a thorough explanation been provided. That is overdue. These distorted assumptions included several who thought JIM CROW was an actual man who was/wasn't a slave and whose life shaped "JIM CROW" laws that made lives better for people of color, especially African Americans. Those young learners, and often their teachers and parents, will benefit rom reading this simple and well-organized text to better understand the original, and now ingrained, ways in which systemic racism has played a controlling role in American history. The subject and details are heavy, yet the book utilizes low page count, plenty of informative and helpful sidebars, larger font with eye-pleasing white space between lines to present the objective task of informing the reader. Without a whiff of patronizing tone, the author and design provide a welcoming and honest space to learn, consider, and discuss. Highly recommended for direct instruction andante classrooms, but also for personal and casual sharing with our networks of kids and friends.
The phrase has become part of everyday discussions in our current times, but rarely has a thorough explanation been provided. That is overdue. These distorted assumptions included several who thought JIM CROW was an actual man who was/wasn't a slave and whose life shaped "JIM CROW" laws that made lives better for people of color, especially African Americans. Those young learners, and often their teachers and parents, will benefit rom reading this simple and well-organized text to better understand the original, and now ingrained, ways in which systemic racism has played a controlling role in American history. The subject and details are heavy, yet the book utilizes low page count, plenty of informative and helpful sidebars, larger font with eye-pleasing white space between lines to present the objective task of informing the reader. Without a whiff of patronizing tone, the author and design provide a welcoming and honest space to learn, consider, and discuss. Highly recommended for direct instruction andante classrooms, but also for personal and casual sharing with our networks of kids and friends.
November 13, 2022
I liked this -- it did a good job of balancing history and an explanation of historical work, being informative about both without being condescending. It talked about how things get left out of the history, especially pedagogical history, and makes a strong case for inclusion of all facts rather than attempting to build national character from deliberately censored accounts.
I thought it did a good job of showing how events and prejudice worked in the past, and how that led into the future, so that even after racial laws are removed people are left in different places. The bit on anti-affirmative action was very clear in the case where southern states were attempting to prevent applicants from mentioning race. So kids could claim precedence because they were a fifth generation legacy (which proved they were White, by the way) but not by mentioning that their family had lived on the school grounds for generations but had been legally barred from attending (because they were Black). Because apparently mentioning being Black was unfair, but leaning on being White is not. Hmm. Jim Crow in action!
I thought it did a good job of showing how events and prejudice worked in the past, and how that led into the future, so that even after racial laws are removed people are left in different places. The bit on anti-affirmative action was very clear in the case where southern states were attempting to prevent applicants from mentioning race. So kids could claim precedence because they were a fifth generation legacy (which proved they were White, by the way) but not by mentioning that their family had lived on the school grounds for generations but had been legally barred from attending (because they were Black). Because apparently mentioning being Black was unfair, but leaning on being White is not. Hmm. Jim Crow in action!
February 16, 2022
Thank you to Penguin Workshop, an imprint of Penguin Random House, for the advanced review copy of this wonderful book. This True History nonfiction is the first in a series and is geared toward middle grade audience. Each one of the five chapters focuses on the vocabulary, deeper and closer looks at specific moments, people, and areas of history, as well as explanations of specific terminology (systemic racism, stop and frisk). At the end of each chapter are discussion questions to further conversation about each aspect learned in each chapter. Recommended media, works of fiction and nonfiction at the end of the book provide further reading and resources. The forward by Jennifer Sabin, the creator of True History and introduction by professor David Ikard provide the explanation for creation of these series and acknowledge African American contributions to the American history. I cannot wait to share this exciting new book (and series) with my middle grade students and colleagues!
March 15, 2022
A series from Penguin Workshop is designed to dive a little deeper into specific elements from history with the focus on depth rather than breath from the lens of disenfranchised groups and for a middle school audience which means there are quite a few text boxes to explain vocabulary or concepts along the way.
This one approaches the topic of systemic racism, detailing housing, entertainment, and prisons/incarceration with tactics like stop and frisk, overpolicing, inhumane interrogation (Central Park Five), Rockefeller Laws, and more.
It approaches everything thoughtfully with topics and I've noticed in the past two titles, do a lot of name dropping for others in the fields they're presenting about in addition to other titles or things to see/watch/read for more information.
This one approaches the topic of systemic racism, detailing housing, entertainment, and prisons/incarceration with tactics like stop and frisk, overpolicing, inhumane interrogation (Central Park Five), Rockefeller Laws, and more.
It approaches everything thoughtfully with topics and I've noticed in the past two titles, do a lot of name dropping for others in the fields they're presenting about in addition to other titles or things to see/watch/read for more information.
April 2, 2025
This is a great book to read, A part of me says I should not enjoy because of the horrific things that happened but the author explained well. I read another book on this subject and was let down by the injustice of today. I wanted to learn about Jim Crow law and this book did it really well. I feel everyone should read this book as it shows how cruel humans can be to others, especially when they think they are better than others. Well done to the author.
July 7, 2024
This was a very informative read. I coupled it with reading The Reformatory.
July 18, 2026
This quick read gives an overview of how Jim Crow laws shaped racial inequality in the USA. It connects past segregation to modern issues in housing, education, media, and criminal justice. A great introduction to Jim Crow.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews