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Marching for Freedom: Walk Together Children and Don't You Grow Weary
An inspiring look at the fight for the vote, by an award-winning author Only 44 years ago in the U.S., Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was leading a fight to win blacks the right to vote. Ground zero for the movement became Selma, Alabama.
Award-winning author Elizabeth Partridge leads you straight into the chaotic, passionate, and deadly three months of protests that culminated in the landmark march from Selma to Montgomery in 1965. Focusing on the courageous children who faced terrifying violence in order to march alongside King, this is an inspiring look at their fight for the vote. Stunningly emotional black-and-white photos accompany the text.
Award-winning author Elizabeth Partridge leads you straight into the chaotic, passionate, and deadly three months of protests that culminated in the landmark march from Selma to Montgomery in 1965. Focusing on the courageous children who faced terrifying violence in order to march alongside King, this is an inspiring look at their fight for the vote. Stunningly emotional black-and-white photos accompany the text.
80 pages, Hardcover
First published October 14, 2009
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February 28, 2015
Marching for Freedom: Walk Together, Children, and Don't You Grow Weary is an amazing retelling of the events leading up to the Selma-to-Montgomery voting rights march in 1965. Similar to Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice and We've Got a Job: The 1963 Birmingham Children's March, this book uses photographs and anecdotes from the lives of ordinary people who were part of the extraordinary - The Civil Rights Movement. The book, though nonfiction, reads like a narrative with its cast of characters, its conflict and rising action, its climax and resolution.
The story begins with two teenage girls, Joanne and Lynda Blackmon, whose grandmother Sylvia Johnson is one of the many unheralded champions for voting rights, willing to risk arrest or worse for the cause. We see through the eyes of Joanne, Lynda and other young people that the book follows, the frustrated and ever-thwarted attempts of blacks to register to vote in Jim Crow South. There seems to be nothing but defeat at every turn as people are barred, unfairly tested, threatened, poll taxed, beaten and arrested for making any attempt to secure one of the basic rights of every American - the right to vote. Propelled onward by the Civil Rights Movement, now in full swing, and the hard-won victories in Montgomery, Birmingham and other places, the black citizens of Selma are determined to push for change. They must remain persistent,yet peaceful and nonviolent,until every black American is granted voting rights. We see once again the backlash of the powers-that-be white segregationists, not only in how staunchly they opposed the Civil Rights Movement, but in the brutal tactics they are willing to employ to protect the system they favor.
The pictures in this book chronicle this time period in March 1965. There are many pictures taken in church of people huddled together in prayer, singing together passionately and waiting expectantly as the time approached for them to march. There are also photos depicting the confrontation - the white sheriff with his billy club and cattle prod aimed and ready, the marchers, overnight belongings in hand, as they began the trek, the authorities clad in gas masks, ready to douse the marchers with tear gas and block their way. One sequence, in the chapter aptly entitled "Bloody Sunday," is particularly compelling. You first see a standoff in the first photo between authorities and marchers. The next shot shows them tear-gassing and assaulting the nonviolent marchers. The shot that follows is of the bodies of beaten marchers strewn along the route as the authorities advance forward.
Even though the marchers are temporarily waylaid by this show of force, their resolve is deepened to continue on to Montgomery. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., using his connections to the Johnson administration, is finally able to secure the protection of the national guard to ward off Governor George Wallace's troops and Ku Klux Klan members who planned to quell the march and terrorize its participants. White supporters begin to join in the march and you get the sense that people of all races of who believe in ending the injustices faced by black Americans are galvanizing. The marchers reach their destination and 30,000 people fill the streets of Montgomery as they make their way to the Capitol Building. Rousing speeches by Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King and others energize the crowd. An entire center spread in the book depicts the gathered crowd - a panorama of people waving American flags. The book ends with President Johnson signing the Voting Rights Act of 1965 into law and black Americans lining up to register.
While this book depicts a major milestone in the Civil Rights Movement, there is still the sense that this was all a beginning, a starting point upon which to build. The Civil Rights Movement did much to change the hearts and minds of many Americans, but the institutions of racism have still yet to be brought down entirely. Only through a careful examination of this history and all that preceded and followed it, can we move forward toward true justice and equality for all. Books like this one should be required reading for all Americans and this movement should be a focal point in our American history classes. Although 50 years has passed since the march from Selma to Montgomery, we are still confronting social injustice in our day and dealing with the fallout from an ugly history of racism and segregation. Students need to be exposed to the lives of those who lived this history. As Joanne Blackmon in her later years put it, "the [Civil Rights] Movement was not a black movement - it was a people movement. And the future has to be a people movement, until injustice is stamped out in any form." This is an important read for all Americans.
The story begins with two teenage girls, Joanne and Lynda Blackmon, whose grandmother Sylvia Johnson is one of the many unheralded champions for voting rights, willing to risk arrest or worse for the cause. We see through the eyes of Joanne, Lynda and other young people that the book follows, the frustrated and ever-thwarted attempts of blacks to register to vote in Jim Crow South. There seems to be nothing but defeat at every turn as people are barred, unfairly tested, threatened, poll taxed, beaten and arrested for making any attempt to secure one of the basic rights of every American - the right to vote. Propelled onward by the Civil Rights Movement, now in full swing, and the hard-won victories in Montgomery, Birmingham and other places, the black citizens of Selma are determined to push for change. They must remain persistent,yet peaceful and nonviolent,until every black American is granted voting rights. We see once again the backlash of the powers-that-be white segregationists, not only in how staunchly they opposed the Civil Rights Movement, but in the brutal tactics they are willing to employ to protect the system they favor.
The pictures in this book chronicle this time period in March 1965. There are many pictures taken in church of people huddled together in prayer, singing together passionately and waiting expectantly as the time approached for them to march. There are also photos depicting the confrontation - the white sheriff with his billy club and cattle prod aimed and ready, the marchers, overnight belongings in hand, as they began the trek, the authorities clad in gas masks, ready to douse the marchers with tear gas and block their way. One sequence, in the chapter aptly entitled "Bloody Sunday," is particularly compelling. You first see a standoff in the first photo between authorities and marchers. The next shot shows them tear-gassing and assaulting the nonviolent marchers. The shot that follows is of the bodies of beaten marchers strewn along the route as the authorities advance forward.
Even though the marchers are temporarily waylaid by this show of force, their resolve is deepened to continue on to Montgomery. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., using his connections to the Johnson administration, is finally able to secure the protection of the national guard to ward off Governor George Wallace's troops and Ku Klux Klan members who planned to quell the march and terrorize its participants. White supporters begin to join in the march and you get the sense that people of all races of who believe in ending the injustices faced by black Americans are galvanizing. The marchers reach their destination and 30,000 people fill the streets of Montgomery as they make their way to the Capitol Building. Rousing speeches by Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King and others energize the crowd. An entire center spread in the book depicts the gathered crowd - a panorama of people waving American flags. The book ends with President Johnson signing the Voting Rights Act of 1965 into law and black Americans lining up to register.
While this book depicts a major milestone in the Civil Rights Movement, there is still the sense that this was all a beginning, a starting point upon which to build. The Civil Rights Movement did much to change the hearts and minds of many Americans, but the institutions of racism have still yet to be brought down entirely. Only through a careful examination of this history and all that preceded and followed it, can we move forward toward true justice and equality for all. Books like this one should be required reading for all Americans and this movement should be a focal point in our American history classes. Although 50 years has passed since the march from Selma to Montgomery, we are still confronting social injustice in our day and dealing with the fallout from an ugly history of racism and segregation. Students need to be exposed to the lives of those who lived this history. As Joanne Blackmon in her later years put it, "the [Civil Rights] Movement was not a black movement - it was a people movement. And the future has to be a people movement, until injustice is stamped out in any form." This is an important read for all Americans.
July 20, 2009
One Sentence Review: One of the best covers of the year on one of the best books of the year, and I appreciated the length in particular.
February 8, 2021
I’ll say it again: don’t underestimate the juvenile non-fiction section at the library! This book, though slender, took us awhile to read out loud and it generated interest in a variety of Freedom Fighters and freedom songs. The images are powerful and the stories are intimate. This book filled in a lot of blanks for me regarding the Civil Rights movement.
July 17, 2017
We recently read the graphic novel series March by Congressman John Lewis and Andrew Aydin, so I am familiar with the material in this book. Their ability to tell the story combined with Nate Powell's illustrations make this series a must-read for middle grade readers.
In fact, as I read the story, told from the perspective of the children who participated in the marches, I feel like I am reaching into my own memories of this part of American history, even though it happened before I was born. That shows just how strong an emotional reaction I had to the graphic novels.
While I think the graphic novels were a powerful way to convey the story in an accessible and appealing way to many generations, this book is also quite effective, focusing mainly on the first few months of 1965 and the peaceful protests that occurred that Spring.
The narrative is a bit long for younger children, but with parental and/or teacher guidance, it can bring the meaning of the Civil Rights struggles of 1965 alive for today's generations.
The numerous black and white images are captioned with information about the events as well as the people in the pictures and they really complement the narrative well.
I appreciate the emphasis on the nonviolence of the protests, signifying the willingness of the marchers to be arrested, beaten, or even killed in the name of justice.
interesting quote:
[Joanne Blackmon Bland] "They like to say these particular struggles were black struggles, but they were not...We fought this movement primarily because it benefitted us as a whole. But if you look at the pictures and read about the history of it, it was not a black movement - it was a people movement. And the future has to be a people movement, until injustice is stamped out in any form." (p. 62)
In fact, as I read the story, told from the perspective of the children who participated in the marches, I feel like I am reaching into my own memories of this part of American history, even though it happened before I was born. That shows just how strong an emotional reaction I had to the graphic novels.
While I think the graphic novels were a powerful way to convey the story in an accessible and appealing way to many generations, this book is also quite effective, focusing mainly on the first few months of 1965 and the peaceful protests that occurred that Spring.
The narrative is a bit long for younger children, but with parental and/or teacher guidance, it can bring the meaning of the Civil Rights struggles of 1965 alive for today's generations.
The numerous black and white images are captioned with information about the events as well as the people in the pictures and they really complement the narrative well.
I appreciate the emphasis on the nonviolence of the protests, signifying the willingness of the marchers to be arrested, beaten, or even killed in the name of justice.
interesting quote:
[Joanne Blackmon Bland] "They like to say these particular struggles were black struggles, but they were not...We fought this movement primarily because it benefitted us as a whole. But if you look at the pictures and read about the history of it, it was not a black movement - it was a people movement. And the future has to be a people movement, until injustice is stamped out in any form." (p. 62)
February 9, 2012
Marching for Freedom documents the Civil Rights Movement through the eyes of children. The book begins in 1965 Salem, Alabama and follows the march led by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. to Montgomery, Alabama. Each page is filled with authentic photography taken throughout this time period and is accompanied by stories of children who participated in the march. The book shines light one the extreme violence several children endured in order to march alongside Dr. King.
This book is beyond wonderful! In my student's 7th grade year, we learn and read about the Civil Rights Movement. They read a variety of resources, however, several of the sources (save from the novels) are written from an adult's perspective. Marching for Freedom shows just how instrumental children were in helping to propel the movement forward--and thus would allow a students to better understand the nuances and realities of this movement.
I could see this book being used for a variety of purposes beginning with a resource to be used when teaching the Civil Rights Movement. I could also see this book being used to teach about social justice terms (prejudice, racism, compassion, integrity). If using this book in the classroom, I would highly recommend scaffolding this book with additional resources to foster a student's understanding of this time period. As there is a lot of information in this book, students would better connect with the content if they had sufficient background knowledge about the culture.
This book is beyond wonderful! In my student's 7th grade year, we learn and read about the Civil Rights Movement. They read a variety of resources, however, several of the sources (save from the novels) are written from an adult's perspective. Marching for Freedom shows just how instrumental children were in helping to propel the movement forward--and thus would allow a students to better understand the nuances and realities of this movement.
I could see this book being used for a variety of purposes beginning with a resource to be used when teaching the Civil Rights Movement. I could also see this book being used to teach about social justice terms (prejudice, racism, compassion, integrity). If using this book in the classroom, I would highly recommend scaffolding this book with additional resources to foster a student's understanding of this time period. As there is a lot of information in this book, students would better connect with the content if they had sufficient background knowledge about the culture.
October 21, 2010
The clear black and white photos in this book are honestly what first captured my attention. The photos are taken from 1965, some are brutal and others are inspiring. They help capture the reader's attention as she reads about the days before "Bloody Sunday," when African Americans attempted to march to Selma, Alabama in order to gain the right to vote, but were injured along the way by state troopers. The nonfiction book continues with the eventual march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama. The perspective of this book is not solely from the prominent civil rights activitists of the 1960s. Rather, author Elizabeth Partridge focuses on the "normal" teens, young adults, and other figures who kept the cause for equal rights alive. Partridge also includes the rhythmic songs that kept the people marching and going despite all resistance.
This is an excellent picture book for intermediate and even high school level students. The history of the five day March to Montgomery is told as a story, with photographs that bring the events to life. By focusing on the efforts and hopes of the not as prominent African Americans, the sense of commumnity and fight for justice is made even more evident. I would definitely recommend this book as one to read and use when teaching about the civil rights movement, determination and hope in general, and about the importance of treating every human being as an equal--as members of the human race.
This is an excellent picture book for intermediate and even high school level students. The history of the five day March to Montgomery is told as a story, with photographs that bring the events to life. By focusing on the efforts and hopes of the not as prominent African Americans, the sense of commumnity and fight for justice is made even more evident. I would definitely recommend this book as one to read and use when teaching about the civil rights movement, determination and hope in general, and about the importance of treating every human being as an equal--as members of the human race.
May 5, 2012
Marching for Freedom: Walk Together, Children, and Don't You Grow Weary
by: Elizabeth Partridge
Intermediate and up Viking (2009) 72p.
ISBN-10: 0670011894 $14.95
"From a child up at that time, you was taught to fear them." Elizabeth Partridge took the well know civil rights march from Montgomery to Selma, and showed it through the lens of the children and teens who participated in the marches. Ms. Partridge's accounts are interchanged with first hand accounts and summative narratives was spell binding. She was able to create tension in the story, even though I've read many detailed accounts about the March for Freedom. Another scene setting touch was Partridge's use of Negro Spirituals and Hymns that have been heard, sung, and used to depict the plight of Black America for years.
This book is definitely for the mature reader. The vividly retold scenes of violence and despair may be too much for a young reader. Teacher's can use this retelling of a historical event as a read aloud, guided reading, etc. But I think that it's important for their to be some adult guidance in it's use.
This book is a surprising piece of treasure. I'm happy I read it.
by: Elizabeth Partridge
Intermediate and up Viking (2009) 72p.
ISBN-10: 0670011894 $14.95
"From a child up at that time, you was taught to fear them." Elizabeth Partridge took the well know civil rights march from Montgomery to Selma, and showed it through the lens of the children and teens who participated in the marches. Ms. Partridge's accounts are interchanged with first hand accounts and summative narratives was spell binding. She was able to create tension in the story, even though I've read many detailed accounts about the March for Freedom. Another scene setting touch was Partridge's use of Negro Spirituals and Hymns that have been heard, sung, and used to depict the plight of Black America for years.
This book is definitely for the mature reader. The vividly retold scenes of violence and despair may be too much for a young reader. Teacher's can use this retelling of a historical event as a read aloud, guided reading, etc. But I think that it's important for their to be some adult guidance in it's use.
This book is a surprising piece of treasure. I'm happy I read it.
June 13, 2013
This book details the struggle faced by black Americans in Selma, Alabama to overcome the obstacles placed before them to register to vote. The story is centered on an historic march from Selma to Montgomery. Although it is told largely from the perspective of the young students involved in the struggle, the author does not soften the issue. Rather, Partridge uses descriptive language and direct quotations from participants of the events and combines them with powerful black and white photographs to tell an amazing story of perseverance and self-determination achieved through courageous and selfless non-violence.
Partridge captures the ugliness of the blatant, unabashed racism that permeated nearly every aspect of life for black Americans living in Selma, Alabama. She wonderfully guides the reader through a quite dramatic and rather dreadful period of U.S. history. The stunning use of photographs taken of a variety of situations that took place in Selma as well as on the march from Selma to Montgomery have the effect of creating a window for the reader to look through and almost feel as though they were there.
Partridge captures the ugliness of the blatant, unabashed racism that permeated nearly every aspect of life for black Americans living in Selma, Alabama. She wonderfully guides the reader through a quite dramatic and rather dreadful period of U.S. history. The stunning use of photographs taken of a variety of situations that took place in Selma as well as on the march from Selma to Montgomery have the effect of creating a window for the reader to look through and almost feel as though they were there.
December 23, 2009
Elizabeth Partridge does it again with a well written book with new information on a subject that has been treated so voluminously by others. Looking at the civil rights movement from the perspective of the young people who joined in the marches and protests makes this an important book for young people everywhere.
Want to Read
November 14, 2009Lesson plans: http://us.penguingroup.com/static/ima...
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Video: http://us.penguingroup.com/nf/Book/Bo...
Lit Trip: http://www.googlelittrips.com/GoogleL...
January 7, 2020
Very good. The photos are impressionable as is the resolute sentiment of those living through that experience. Wow.
April 27, 2010
Marching For Freedom: Walk Together, Children, and Don’t You Grow Weary by Elizabeth Partridge is a moving portrait of how the children of the Civil Rights Movement propelled the movement forward and changed history. These children had to stand up and fight when their parents and teachers couldn’t for fear of losing their jobs and possibly their lives. Many of the brave children were beaten up, thrown into jail and, in some cases, killed. A 2009 Cybils Award nominee finalist and a 2010 ALA Notable Children’s Book for Older Readers Award winner, Marching For Freedom reflects and encourages children’s interests. The School Library Journal raves about how “effective and meaningful archival photographs, quotes, poems, and songs are woven throughout the narrative, giving readers a real sense of the children's mindset and experiences.” The book’s layout is extremely attractive and grabbed my attention immediately. The black and white photographs (at least one on every double-page spread) takes the reader back to the unfairness and inequality by showing actual photos of the people and events the author is describing in the text. These photographs are so much more compelling than illustrations of that time are because the reader can see that this actually happened. Each photograph is clearly labeled with specific information that moves the story along. The narrative prose vividly portrays what it was like for these young people from Selma, fighting for equality from the time of “votelessness” in 1963 through the Voting Rights Act in August of 1965. The author was able to interview many of the children she wrote about which makes the book all the more powerful. The text is effectively organized by chronological events, and each chapter title is an important event and date. Elizabeth Partridge includes an author’s note, source notes, bibliography, permissions, acknowledgments and index at the end of the book. All of these are helpful to have as a teacher who wants to make sure to include only the most credible and accurate informational texts in their classroom library. This is a wonderful text to use in the middle school or high school classroom. It can be used as a read aloud or in literature circles to have in depth discussions about the civil rights movement, as well as other movements from the past or present day. Children can see that they can make a difference, and that they don’t have to wait until they are adults to stand up for what they believe in.
April 27, 2010
Marching For Freedom will challenge your thinking about what children are capable of. Elizabeth Partridge tells the story of the struggles of African Americans in Selma, Alabama in 1963 who were trying to register to vote. They were bullied and intimidated by local authorities, made to take an unfairly administered “literacy test” and charged a poll tax. The blacks wanted the right to vote but they had to join together in a peaceful protest to make their voices heard.
The author tells the story of several children who joined in those peaceful protests and marches to get the message out. The children had to protest because the adults feared losing their jobs and means of supporting their families. Children, as young as ten, were arrested and put in jail for taking part in the marches.
Photographs in this book really help to reflect the times. Signs, such as “colored rest room” or “white only” reveal the tension of the area. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. inspires them to act under the principles of nonviolence in a church and the picture makes you feel like he is talking to you. The photographs also show how things got out of hand on March 7, 1965 also known as Bloody Sunday. It ends by showing the five-day march to the Capitol Building in Montgomery and the signing of the Voting Rights Act.
The author’s style of writing and the page layout make you feel like you are reading the actual accounts of the children who lived it. She divides her chapters by dates like a journal and uses a font similar to the newspaper. She also adds in the words to some of the songs they used to keep their spirits going. All these elements work together to engage middle and upper grade readers and keep them reading. One thing I did find difficult was keeping track of the different children because she did jump back and forth between their stories. Students may have trouble with this as well.
This story does make you think about the risks these young people were willing to take and what a difference they made in history. In the author’s note she does remind us that it was not a “black movement-it was a people movement.”
The Kirkus starred review says it “portrays the fight for the heart of America" and School Library Journal says it’s “an excellent addition to any library.”
Awards:
Los Angeles Times Book Prize for Young Adult Literature
Jane Addams Children’s Book Award
School Library Journal’s Battle of the Books
The author tells the story of several children who joined in those peaceful protests and marches to get the message out. The children had to protest because the adults feared losing their jobs and means of supporting their families. Children, as young as ten, were arrested and put in jail for taking part in the marches.
Photographs in this book really help to reflect the times. Signs, such as “colored rest room” or “white only” reveal the tension of the area. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. inspires them to act under the principles of nonviolence in a church and the picture makes you feel like he is talking to you. The photographs also show how things got out of hand on March 7, 1965 also known as Bloody Sunday. It ends by showing the five-day march to the Capitol Building in Montgomery and the signing of the Voting Rights Act.
The author’s style of writing and the page layout make you feel like you are reading the actual accounts of the children who lived it. She divides her chapters by dates like a journal and uses a font similar to the newspaper. She also adds in the words to some of the songs they used to keep their spirits going. All these elements work together to engage middle and upper grade readers and keep them reading. One thing I did find difficult was keeping track of the different children because she did jump back and forth between their stories. Students may have trouble with this as well.
This story does make you think about the risks these young people were willing to take and what a difference they made in history. In the author’s note she does remind us that it was not a “black movement-it was a people movement.”
The Kirkus starred review says it “portrays the fight for the heart of America" and School Library Journal says it’s “an excellent addition to any library.”
Awards:
Los Angeles Times Book Prize for Young Adult Literature
Jane Addams Children’s Book Award
School Library Journal’s Battle of the Books
April 30, 2010
Elizabeth Partridge’s Marching For Freedom tells stories from the civil rights movement in Selma, Alabama. The stories are frequently told from the children’s perspective, which makes the book, which is written for children ten and up, more engaging for children. Marching For Freedom has won the Jane Addams Children’s Book Award.
Partridge explains her inspiration and identifies her research well at the end of the book. She includes an author’s note explaining her inspiration for the book, which is useful for showing students how authors begin their writing process. She includes a bibliography, source notes, permission, and acknowledgements that really show the depth of her research before writing this book. These sections make the book obviously credible and large source of information about the civil rights movement in Selma, Alabama.
Because of her extensive research, it seems appropriate to assume the text content is accurate. Multiple people’s stories intertwine to paint the picture of major events. Photographs help support the accuracy and moments of the story. The author states facts clearly and uses the characters’ memories to build up the emotions of the events.
The information is powerful and factual which makes it a great source for children to see how other children made such a large impact on the civil rights movement. It is written in an accessible way, which allows readers to focus on the information without wading through too much information or difficult layout. The information is well organized and told like a narrative timeline. At times the characters get confusing. There are so many people within the story that a reader may occasionally have to look back. Partridge shows respect for her readers’ by telling the story without making it childish or preachy. She does a great job of telling a story that will surprise and inspire children.
The language of the text along with the photographs paints a powerfully emotional and inspiring story about the events of the civil rights movement in Selma, Alabama. The author’s clear language, paired with powerful word choice, helps readers feel the emotions and importance of the actions that occurred. Her use of first person perspectives about the events help readers buy into the moments more than you would in a textbook. The images are equally powerful and carry as much weight as her words.
Partridge explains her inspiration and identifies her research well at the end of the book. She includes an author’s note explaining her inspiration for the book, which is useful for showing students how authors begin their writing process. She includes a bibliography, source notes, permission, and acknowledgements that really show the depth of her research before writing this book. These sections make the book obviously credible and large source of information about the civil rights movement in Selma, Alabama.
Because of her extensive research, it seems appropriate to assume the text content is accurate. Multiple people’s stories intertwine to paint the picture of major events. Photographs help support the accuracy and moments of the story. The author states facts clearly and uses the characters’ memories to build up the emotions of the events.
The information is powerful and factual which makes it a great source for children to see how other children made such a large impact on the civil rights movement. It is written in an accessible way, which allows readers to focus on the information without wading through too much information or difficult layout. The information is well organized and told like a narrative timeline. At times the characters get confusing. There are so many people within the story that a reader may occasionally have to look back. Partridge shows respect for her readers’ by telling the story without making it childish or preachy. She does a great job of telling a story that will surprise and inspire children.
The language of the text along with the photographs paints a powerfully emotional and inspiring story about the events of the civil rights movement in Selma, Alabama. The author’s clear language, paired with powerful word choice, helps readers feel the emotions and importance of the actions that occurred. Her use of first person perspectives about the events help readers buy into the moments more than you would in a textbook. The images are equally powerful and carry as much weight as her words.
March 6, 2011
Book talk: The ratification of the 15th Amendment in 1870 prohibited denying anyone the right to vote based on race, but in Alabama in 1965, they found enough ways to get around that amendment that even though half the population of Selma was black, 99 % of the voters were white. In 1965 the people of Selma decided to make a stand by marching to protest the unfair voting practices. The marchers were jailed, bombs were set off in the houses of the leaders, protesters were fired from their jobs, and the violence escalated leading up to what came to be known as Bloody Sunday. On Sunday, March 7th protesters gathered to march to Montgomery. Many of the protesters were children and teenagers who did not have jobs to lose. Despite this fact the police released tear gas on the peaceful protesters and came at man, woman, and child with clubs swinging. But trips to jail and even the hospital were not enough to stop them. These children and teenagers would gather again, and this time they would make it all the way to Montgomery.
Rocks my socks: The story of how many children and teenagers were involved in these marches knowing the incredible violence that awaited them is absolutely amazing. The book relies heavily on pictures taken during the events described and there's one on at least every other page. This really helps to communicate the story visually and draw the reader in. Partridge also uses excerpts from protest songs to tell the story, and I loved reading about the songs.
Rocks in my socks: I felt that the story could have been clearer at times. A bit more background and context to the events would have been appreciated. It seems that the story also tries to focus on several children and teens in particular to tell the story and in theory help teenage readers connect with it. However, I didn't feel that enough time was taken to really establish who each of these people were and so I occasionally got a bit lost or confused when it referred to a specific person by name and I couldn't remember who that person was. The pictures are lovely, but I wish there was a bit more text to support them.
Every book its reader: I'd give this to grades 6 and up. This would be a good book to use in class, but anyone with an interest in history of the period would enjoy it, and visual people in particular will enjoy the beautiful pictures.
Read more of my reviews at http://auldschoollibrarian.blogspot.com/
Rocks my socks: The story of how many children and teenagers were involved in these marches knowing the incredible violence that awaited them is absolutely amazing. The book relies heavily on pictures taken during the events described and there's one on at least every other page. This really helps to communicate the story visually and draw the reader in. Partridge also uses excerpts from protest songs to tell the story, and I loved reading about the songs.
Rocks in my socks: I felt that the story could have been clearer at times. A bit more background and context to the events would have been appreciated. It seems that the story also tries to focus on several children and teens in particular to tell the story and in theory help teenage readers connect with it. However, I didn't feel that enough time was taken to really establish who each of these people were and so I occasionally got a bit lost or confused when it referred to a specific person by name and I couldn't remember who that person was. The pictures are lovely, but I wish there was a bit more text to support them.
Every book its reader: I'd give this to grades 6 and up. This would be a good book to use in class, but anyone with an interest in history of the period would enjoy it, and visual people in particular will enjoy the beautiful pictures.
Read more of my reviews at http://auldschoollibrarian.blogspot.com/
December 2, 2013
Marching for Freedom by Elizabeth Partridge tells the story of deadly protests that took place in 1965. The book focuses on children who stood up for their rights even though they knew they would be facing horrific violence. I thought this book was very moving, because it tells the story of African Americans gaining the right to vote. I also really enjoyed the old photographs to provide the reader with a visual representation.
The book portrays the criteria by having cultural accuracy and authenticity of characters in terms of social and economic status and invites reflection, creates critical analysis and response. This book also demonstrates unique language and style, meets criteria of quality for the genre and has an appeal format. In the book African Americans are portrayed as below white Americans. The book tells of their brutal fight for rights and freedom. This book connects to the influential figure Dr. Martin Luther King who was fighting for the right to vote. African American’s were given different facilities to use and places they were allowed to go, white society did not think of them as equals. The book lets the reader reflect on how African American’s have been treated unfairly throughout history. After reading this book the reader may be intrigued to research other stories that tell of African American’s striving to achieve their freedom. The language or style in the book is unique when Martin Luther King Jr. speaks of what needs to be done to achieve freedom. The content is meaningful and keeps the reader’s attention. At the beginning of each topic the author bolds and changes the font of the print to emphasize each sections importance. The book accurately demonstrates a nonfiction story. All of the content depicts African American’s culture and beliefs. The photographs emphasize that these events took place in history, which helps the reader understand their influence. The format is appealing for a nonfiction book. It is full of pictures to help the reader grasp a visual understanding on what truthfully occurred. Knowing that the story is nonfictional gets the reader interested and want to learn more.
The book portrays the criteria by having cultural accuracy and authenticity of characters in terms of social and economic status and invites reflection, creates critical analysis and response. This book also demonstrates unique language and style, meets criteria of quality for the genre and has an appeal format. In the book African Americans are portrayed as below white Americans. The book tells of their brutal fight for rights and freedom. This book connects to the influential figure Dr. Martin Luther King who was fighting for the right to vote. African American’s were given different facilities to use and places they were allowed to go, white society did not think of them as equals. The book lets the reader reflect on how African American’s have been treated unfairly throughout history. After reading this book the reader may be intrigued to research other stories that tell of African American’s striving to achieve their freedom. The language or style in the book is unique when Martin Luther King Jr. speaks of what needs to be done to achieve freedom. The content is meaningful and keeps the reader’s attention. At the beginning of each topic the author bolds and changes the font of the print to emphasize each sections importance. The book accurately demonstrates a nonfiction story. All of the content depicts African American’s culture and beliefs. The photographs emphasize that these events took place in history, which helps the reader understand their influence. The format is appealing for a nonfiction book. It is full of pictures to help the reader grasp a visual understanding on what truthfully occurred. Knowing that the story is nonfictional gets the reader interested and want to learn more.
November 17, 2016
Marching For Freedom by Elizabeth Partridge is an easy to understand informational text about the Selma march. The book is organized in a way that any person, regardless of their prior knowledge would be able to understand. The book opens with a personal story of Joanne Blackmon and her sister Lynda and how they were denied at the Dallas County Courthouse because of the color of their skin. From there, the book follows the issue of unjust treatment such as being denied the right to vote. We are introduced to Amelia Boynton who tries to “vouch” for African Americans and their right to register and be granted the right to vote, as well as Martin Luther King Jr. who becomes a figure that drives and leads this historic march. There’s a whole chapter devoted to Bloody Sunday and five descriptive chapters of five days of marching. There are a lot of personal stories from people who aren’t as well known such as children and the brutal treatment that they received. The book ends with a chapter about the Voting Rights Act of 1965 which brings the story to a somewhat “happy” ending.
This book would be suitable for older middle schoolers and even high school. The vocabulary is easy to understand and the sentences aren’t too long or convoluted making the information easy to digest. This book would be good as a foundation for the civil rights movement as it focuses on the Selma march and Martin Luther King Jr. who made a significant impact during this time in history. This book is very text heavy even though each spread has at least one picture. Sometimes there will be a full-bleed picture on one page with information on the other, giving the reader a visual to the brutal treatment the Freedom Fighters often received. It is very descriptive with punishments from the police such as beating with clubs, cattle prods, tear gas, and whipping which makes it more appropriate for older readers. The visuals are all black and white photos as Partridge grew up in a very photography based family allowing a real look into these events opposed to an illustration.
This book would be suitable for older middle schoolers and even high school. The vocabulary is easy to understand and the sentences aren’t too long or convoluted making the information easy to digest. This book would be good as a foundation for the civil rights movement as it focuses on the Selma march and Martin Luther King Jr. who made a significant impact during this time in history. This book is very text heavy even though each spread has at least one picture. Sometimes there will be a full-bleed picture on one page with information on the other, giving the reader a visual to the brutal treatment the Freedom Fighters often received. It is very descriptive with punishments from the police such as beating with clubs, cattle prods, tear gas, and whipping which makes it more appropriate for older readers. The visuals are all black and white photos as Partridge grew up in a very photography based family allowing a real look into these events opposed to an illustration.
October 19, 2009
There was no question that I had to pick up Elizabeth Partridge's new book Marching for Freedom: Walk Together Children and Don't You Grow Weary. "Walk Together Children" is one of my favorite spirituals and Elizabeth Partridge is the author of that stunning Woody Guthrie biography I was so taken with back in 2008. Resistance was futile.
Marching for Freedom covers the time period surrounding the 1965 Selma to Montgomery march that led to groundbreaking voter's rights legislation for African Americans. Unlike most books about the Civil Rights Movement, Elizabeth Partridge focuses on the young people who were a pivotal, energetic force for change in Alabama. Partridge argues that without the kids as young as six years old who stood up for justice and equality, many adults may not have had the courage to get involved. She writes that adults were often "shaken into bravery" by the determination of the young people around them.
Lynda Blackmon Lowery, the youngest person to make the entire 54 mile march on Mongomery said, "I was not brave, I was not courageous. I was determined. That's how I got to Montgomery."
One of the things I loved most about this book was the emphasis on the role of music during the Civil Rights Movement. Time after time, while these children found themselves in horrific, untenable circumstances...beaten, intimidated, thrown in jail, sometimes kids as young as 14 years old placed in solitary confinement...they sang. Patridge writes:
"The music made them bigger than their defeat, bigger than their fear. It wove them together, filled them once more with courage and strength."
I believe in the power of music to change the world. I believe in the power of young people to change the world. Marching for Freedom strengthened those beliefs.
(Note: There are some very difficult scenes in this book, so I wouldn't recommend it to the under-10 crowd without a willing, caring adult along for the ride.)
Marching for Freedom covers the time period surrounding the 1965 Selma to Montgomery march that led to groundbreaking voter's rights legislation for African Americans. Unlike most books about the Civil Rights Movement, Elizabeth Partridge focuses on the young people who were a pivotal, energetic force for change in Alabama. Partridge argues that without the kids as young as six years old who stood up for justice and equality, many adults may not have had the courage to get involved. She writes that adults were often "shaken into bravery" by the determination of the young people around them.
Lynda Blackmon Lowery, the youngest person to make the entire 54 mile march on Mongomery said, "I was not brave, I was not courageous. I was determined. That's how I got to Montgomery."
One of the things I loved most about this book was the emphasis on the role of music during the Civil Rights Movement. Time after time, while these children found themselves in horrific, untenable circumstances...beaten, intimidated, thrown in jail, sometimes kids as young as 14 years old placed in solitary confinement...they sang. Patridge writes:
"The music made them bigger than their defeat, bigger than their fear. It wove them together, filled them once more with courage and strength."
I believe in the power of music to change the world. I believe in the power of young people to change the world. Marching for Freedom strengthened those beliefs.
(Note: There are some very difficult scenes in this book, so I wouldn't recommend it to the under-10 crowd without a willing, caring adult along for the ride.)
March 21, 2011
Marching for Freedom by Elizabeth Partridge (2009)
Marching for Freedom captures the tale of the African Americans in Selma, Alabama who struggled for the right to vote in the civil rights movement in 1965. Elizabeth Partridge shares the events in Selma leading up to the march to Montgomery which eventually involved over 30,000 African Americans and other civil rights activists. Using storytelling to reawaken the time period and events, Partridge creates an emotional story full of fear, hope, and the belief in standing up for what is right. Her narration is particularly moving because it shares the experiences of the children and teenagers who defied authorities, were jailed, risked their lives, and cut school to help their parents get the right to vote. An entire community came together in Selma to carry out the existing law that allowed all to vote. In this rendition, legends like Martin Luther King Jr., Coretta Scott King, Rosa Parks, and President Johnson are equals to the average citizens who risked being beaten, shot with teargas, fired from their jobs, arrested, visited from the KKK, and killed. Adding to the narrative’s impact are the vivid black and white images, sometimes full spreads, capturing the up-close and immense terror and hardship of racism. Through all this pain, come the personal quotes from marchers and the freedom songs’ lyrics, scattered throughout the book eliciting promise and pride within the reader. While the book only covers a short amount of time, Partridge drives home the importance of change in the face of adversity through unification for a righteous cause. One closes this book reflecting on this amazing time in American history and the courageous people who were brave enough to stand for justice.
Marching for Freedom captures the tale of the African Americans in Selma, Alabama who struggled for the right to vote in the civil rights movement in 1965. Elizabeth Partridge shares the events in Selma leading up to the march to Montgomery which eventually involved over 30,000 African Americans and other civil rights activists. Using storytelling to reawaken the time period and events, Partridge creates an emotional story full of fear, hope, and the belief in standing up for what is right. Her narration is particularly moving because it shares the experiences of the children and teenagers who defied authorities, were jailed, risked their lives, and cut school to help their parents get the right to vote. An entire community came together in Selma to carry out the existing law that allowed all to vote. In this rendition, legends like Martin Luther King Jr., Coretta Scott King, Rosa Parks, and President Johnson are equals to the average citizens who risked being beaten, shot with teargas, fired from their jobs, arrested, visited from the KKK, and killed. Adding to the narrative’s impact are the vivid black and white images, sometimes full spreads, capturing the up-close and immense terror and hardship of racism. Through all this pain, come the personal quotes from marchers and the freedom songs’ lyrics, scattered throughout the book eliciting promise and pride within the reader. While the book only covers a short amount of time, Partridge drives home the importance of change in the face of adversity through unification for a righteous cause. One closes this book reflecting on this amazing time in American history and the courageous people who were brave enough to stand for justice.
February 15, 2010
Elizabeth Partridge tells the moving story of young people’s role in the civil rights struggle.to get the vote in Selma, Alabama. The book opens with ten year old Joanne Blackmon’s first arrest when she accompanied her grandmother as she tried to register to vote in 1963. The narrative continues chronologically, highlighting the role played by youth. Adults could lose their jobs or even their lives if they protested, so the high school students were at the forefront of this struggle. The powerful black and white archival photographs illustrate the story, focusing on the five day march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama in 1965 and ending with the passage of the voting rights act, a picture of someone ‘s hands filling in the voter registration card. The well selected photographs add rhythm and emphasis to the pages; several dramatic pictures bleed over the center line. The dates are delineated in the table of contents as well as in the chapter headings. Copious source notes highlight the meticulous research., and there is an extensive bibliography and comprehensive index. Teachers wanting to use this book in their study of Civil Rights will want to look at the author’s website for additional teaching resources which include Smithsonian recordings of the songs, an interactive map (a Google Lit Trip), and lesson plans. This book fits alongside several excellent books on the Civil Rights movement for children including Ann Bausum’s book Freedom Riders and Robert Mayer’s book When the Children Marched: The Birmingham Civil Rights Movement and for younger children the Pinkney’s book Boycott Blues. It is a vital purchase for all school and public libraries.
May 1, 2014
Marching For Freedom: Walk Together Children and Don't You Grow Weary
by Elizabeth Partridge is a nonfiction book for the ages of ten years old and up. Its is an ALA Notable Children's Book for Older Readers and a Cybils Awards Nominee for Middle Grade/Young Adult Non-Fiction. This book has a lot of historical pictures from the nineteen sixties. The books and these pictures talk about the movement for voting rights for African Americans.
It focuses on the children in Salem ,Alabama during the time.
I love books on historical history such as this. The fact that books like this are being written for children everyday is just wonderful. This author did a wonderful job of finding the proper and powerful pictures to include in the book. The book is well written and formatted for children. The authors choose the most engaging stories to use for the older children reading this book. The book gives direct quotations from people during that time. The order of information and stories in the book is perfect for children to understand what was happening .The book also portrays the fear of the children and adults, the injustice and the hope that was going around during that time. I absolutely love the way this book is written and would recommended it for any children that its age appropriate for.
by Elizabeth Partridge is a nonfiction book for the ages of ten years old and up. Its is an ALA Notable Children's Book for Older Readers and a Cybils Awards Nominee for Middle Grade/Young Adult Non-Fiction. This book has a lot of historical pictures from the nineteen sixties. The books and these pictures talk about the movement for voting rights for African Americans.
It focuses on the children in Salem ,Alabama during the time.
I love books on historical history such as this. The fact that books like this are being written for children everyday is just wonderful. This author did a wonderful job of finding the proper and powerful pictures to include in the book. The book is well written and formatted for children. The authors choose the most engaging stories to use for the older children reading this book. The book gives direct quotations from people during that time. The order of information and stories in the book is perfect for children to understand what was happening .The book also portrays the fear of the children and adults, the injustice and the hope that was going around during that time. I absolutely love the way this book is written and would recommended it for any children that its age appropriate for.
December 9, 2015
In Marching for Freedom: Walk Together, children and Don’t you Grow Weary by Elizabeth Partridge. This book tells the different stories of several people who were involved in the civil rights movement including the famous Martin Luther King Jr. This book does a great job telling the story of what lead up to the voting rights act being passed in 1965 it tells the personal stories of people who at the time were just little kids but participated in protest and marches for the sake of their parents and a better future for themselves many children were beaten and even thrown into jail on multiple occasions for protesting but they did it anyways. A little African American girl was arrested and thrown into jail at the age of ten for accompanying her grandmother as she attempted to register to vote. Bloody Sunday was March 7th 1965 African Americans gathered together and protested peacefully as they were unrightfully beaten and tear-gassed by police officers. The biggest strength this book represented was meeting the criteria for the Noble books of Global Society. The criteria that stuck out to me most was accuracy and authenticity of the people depicted in terms of physical characteristics, social and economic status, intellectual and problem solving abilities, and displays of leadership and cooperation was met by allowing the people who went through the beatings and jail time. It also focused on the in depth treatment of the issue of African Americans being treated unfairly because of their race. It also showed uniqueness of language and style because the people who went through it also told it.
April 10, 2010
Elizabeth Partridge, author of John Lennon: All I want is the Truth and The Life and Work of Dorothea Lange, recounts the gripping days in 1965 that led up to the march from Selma to Montgomery, Al in Marching for Freedom. Instead of focusing on the key players of the Civil Rights Movement, like Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Partridge discusses the role that children and teens had on this historic movement. Partridge does not weigh the reader down with historic fact after historic fact, but recounts stories of young participants from the facts. This unique viewpoint will definitely enthrall the attention of children, who are the intended audience of Marching for Freedom, along with adults too.
The story of this momentous fifty-four mile march, Bloody Sunday, and the struggle for the right to vote are showcased in beautiful black and white photographs. These stunning and dramatic photos accompany the text and help the reader realize the severity of these tense days. Partridge uses the stories of several children and teenagers throughout the book to help the reader relate and understand the role that young people played in this part of history.
Marching for Freedom is a great tool to help children understand the monumental significance of the Civil Rights Movement. Through the photographs and the stories of young participants, Marching for Freedom showcases the effect that children can have on history. This wonderfully written book is recommended for the ages of 10 and up.
The story of this momentous fifty-four mile march, Bloody Sunday, and the struggle for the right to vote are showcased in beautiful black and white photographs. These stunning and dramatic photos accompany the text and help the reader realize the severity of these tense days. Partridge uses the stories of several children and teenagers throughout the book to help the reader relate and understand the role that young people played in this part of history.
Marching for Freedom is a great tool to help children understand the monumental significance of the Civil Rights Movement. Through the photographs and the stories of young participants, Marching for Freedom showcases the effect that children can have on history. This wonderfully written book is recommended for the ages of 10 and up.
December 12, 2011
Elizabeth Partridge, author of John Lennon: All I want is the Truth and The Life and Work of Dorothea Lange, recounts the gripping days in 1965 that led up to the march from Selma to Montgomery, Al in Marching for Freedom. Instead of focusing on the key players of the Civil Rights Movement, like Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Partridge discusses the role that children and teens had on this historic movement. Partridge does not weigh the reader down with historic fact after historic fact, but recounts stories of young participants from the facts. This unique viewpoint will definitely enthrall the attention of children, who are the intended audience of Marching for Freedom, along with adults too.
The story of this momentous fifty-four mile march, Bloody Sunday, and the struggle for the right to vote are showcased in beautiful black and white photographs. These stunning and dramatic photos accompany the text and help the reader realize the severity of these tense days. Partridge uses the stories of several children and teenagers throughout the book to help the reader relate and understand the role that young people played in this part of history.
Marching for Freedom is a great tool to help children understand the monumental significance of the Civil Rights Movement. Through the photographs and the stories of young participants, Marching for Freedom showcases the effect that children can have on history. This wonderfully written book is recommended for the ages of 10 and up.
The story of this momentous fifty-four mile march, Bloody Sunday, and the struggle for the right to vote are showcased in beautiful black and white photographs. These stunning and dramatic photos accompany the text and help the reader realize the severity of these tense days. Partridge uses the stories of several children and teenagers throughout the book to help the reader relate and understand the role that young people played in this part of history.
Marching for Freedom is a great tool to help children understand the monumental significance of the Civil Rights Movement. Through the photographs and the stories of young participants, Marching for Freedom showcases the effect that children can have on history. This wonderfully written book is recommended for the ages of 10 and up.
December 21, 2010
Summary: A look at the events surrounding and leading up to the Selma freedom march, told partly from the perspective of teenagers who were involved.
Verdict: A must for the middle school American history classroom.
Yay!: Finding people who were teen participants in the marches and telling their stories here is an inspired idea. The narrow focus (not trying to tell the entire story of the civil rights movement in a slim book) allows for greater detail about the events covered. Mood-setting elements like the march song lyrics personalize the story and contrast with the frank descriptions of the tension and violence the marchers faced.
Nay!: This book is supposed to focus on the teens involved in the marches, but it often skews away from their perspectives to provide drier historical detail. Also, the book could have included more direct quotes from interviews rather than the author's summations, which were a bit overemotional and clumsy at times. With material like this, the facts can create emotion on their own.
Related title: Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice
Verdict: A must for the middle school American history classroom.
Yay!: Finding people who were teen participants in the marches and telling their stories here is an inspired idea. The narrow focus (not trying to tell the entire story of the civil rights movement in a slim book) allows for greater detail about the events covered. Mood-setting elements like the march song lyrics personalize the story and contrast with the frank descriptions of the tension and violence the marchers faced.
Nay!: This book is supposed to focus on the teens involved in the marches, but it often skews away from their perspectives to provide drier historical detail. Also, the book could have included more direct quotes from interviews rather than the author's summations, which were a bit overemotional and clumsy at times. With material like this, the facts can create emotion on their own.
Related title: Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice
November 19, 2015
This book for young adults does a great job telling the story of what eventually lead to the Voting Rights Act being passed in 1965. It explains the many protests that went on and even includes personal accounts of some who were just children while this was going on and participated in the protests for the sake of their parents and their future. Many children were beaten and even put in jail on multiple occasions for their protesting, but they did it anyways. This book tells about the events through the eye's of those were actually there and it has real photographs from the events as well.
This book would be a great educational tool for middle-school aged children who are learning about civil rights. They would be able to better relate to this book compared to others since it is about children their age who were protesting for rights. It would help this generation of children better appreciate what they have and teach them that things were not always as they are today. Only a few years ago things were much different and this book does a great job of explaining just one aspect of how the world was and the events that occurred to make positive changes for the future generations.
This book would be a great educational tool for middle-school aged children who are learning about civil rights. They would be able to better relate to this book compared to others since it is about children their age who were protesting for rights. It would help this generation of children better appreciate what they have and teach them that things were not always as they are today. Only a few years ago things were much different and this book does a great job of explaining just one aspect of how the world was and the events that occurred to make positive changes for the future generations.
April 20, 2019
16 July 2009 MARCHING FOR FREEDOM: WALK TOGETHER, CHILDREN, AND DON'T YOU GROW WEARY by Elizabeth Partridge, Viking, October 2009, 80p., ISBN: 978-0-670-01189-6
"In the eyes of a child you will see." -- John Lodge
Elizabeth Partridge prefaces the first chapter of MARCHING FOR FREEDOM with a series of four photographs that chronicle the July 8, 1964 arrest of young Samuel Newall. The series begins with Samuel standing alone in front of the Dallas County Courthouse in Selma, Alabama. He is quietly holding up a handwritten poster board sign that reads: "One Man One Vote Freedom Register Now SNCC" The photographs record the approach of deputies and the arrest of the young black child for quietly holding up the voting rights poster. Samuel Newall appears in the photos to be around nine or ten years old.
"Across the United States, people were shocked that Dr. King encouraged children to join in the civil rights struggle. 'A hundred times I have been asked,' he said, 'why we have allowed children to march in demonstrations, to freeze and suffer in jails, to be exposed to bullets and dynamite. The answer is simple. Our children and our families are maimed a little every day of our lives. If we can end an incessant torture by an single climactic confrontation, the risks are acceptable.'"
While Samuel Newall was getting arrested in Selma in the summer of 1964 for quietly holding a voting rights protest sign aloft, I was a nine-year-old spending the summer flipping baseball cards, riding my banana bike, playing kickball in the street, swimming at the beach, listening to the Beatles, reading Beverly Cleary, Walter Brooks, and the Sunday funnies, and regularly experiencing feelings of confusion and discomfort over the films running on the nightly newscasts of violence being perpetrated against Civil Rights protesters in the South. I was an attentive student -- both at school and at catechism -- and what I was seeing on TV just did not make sense given what I was being taught. What was it that I was missing?
I stare at these photos of Samuel Newall, a black kid in Alabama dressed in an outfit so similar to those I wore as a child on Long Island, and I think about how easily, by virtue of birth, I could have been him.
"'Don't worry about your children,' Dr. King had reassured parents. 'Don't hold them back if they want to go to jail.' He was in awe of their willingness and bravery. 'They are doing a job for not only themselves but for all of America and for all of mankind. They are carving a tunnel of hope through the great mountain of despair.'"
Chronicling in word and in image the brutal and sometimes deadly events in early 1965 that led to the Selma march and to the subsequent passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, Elizabeth Partridge focuses MARCHING FOR FREEDOM on the role of children participating in the Civil Rights movement. The author sought out members of my generation who were children at the center of the action during those tumultuous and tragic days when peacefully protesting Americans were arrested and sometimes murdered at the hands of racist mobs and Southern white cops. It is powerful to hear recollections of now-grownup-kids who actually can be seen in the forty-four year old photographs that Partridge has selected for the book -- photos that visually immerse readers in the spirit of the Civil Rights movement.
A fact that is emphasized again and again by these photos is that the local churches played a pivotal role in the movement. We repeatedly see the young people either singing or listening intently inside, or standing outside their churches. We read how the marchers would retreat, oftentimes bleeding, to the sanctuary of a church.
Count me as one of my generation who grew up to reject the dictates of the church in which I was raised just as surely as I rejected my father's politics. I was content to grow up and leave both of their houses. Contemplating the significant and positive role that these churches clearly played in the lives of these young people in the Civil Rights movement has me wondering about what my children's generation may have lost out on as a result of the widespread disaffection that has caused so many of my generation to reject traditional religious institutions and raise our children without benefit of the community engendered by those churches.
"Oh freedom
Oh freedom
Oh freedom over me!
And before I'll be a slave
I'll be buried in my grave
And go home to my Lord and be free"
Another reoccurring focus of Partridge's work are the songs of the movement that were being sung inside and outside of those churches. The author asked of those she interviewed about the songs that gave meaning to their struggle, and space amidst the text is provided for samples of those songs.
"'It's the good times that make you cry,' Charles told me. 'Not the bad times. You've seen something be accomplished and it really is heart-rending.'"
The times have been really good lately. I've cried a lot over the past year as I did what I could to help Barack Obama -- who was a little boy of color living in Hawaii while the events in 1965 Alabama were transpiring -- change the course of American history. For the little boy still inside of me who could not wrap his mind around the variance between what was being taught in school about the freedoms supposedly enjoyed by Americans, in catechism about the teachings and example set by Jesus, and the state-sanctioned violence that was brought into our Long Island living room on the evening news, MARCHING FOR FREEDOM does a stellar job -- visually and textually -- of helping make sense of what was taking place in those troubled times.
Through it, young readers should come to recognize that the most important part of becoming an adult in America is having the right and obligation of making informed choices at the ballot box. In my lifetime, and for my peers, people died to secure that sacred right.
Richie Partington, MLIS
Richie's Picks http://richiespicks.pbworks.com
https://www.facebook.com/richiespicks/
richiepartington@gmail.com
"In the eyes of a child you will see." -- John Lodge
Elizabeth Partridge prefaces the first chapter of MARCHING FOR FREEDOM with a series of four photographs that chronicle the July 8, 1964 arrest of young Samuel Newall. The series begins with Samuel standing alone in front of the Dallas County Courthouse in Selma, Alabama. He is quietly holding up a handwritten poster board sign that reads: "One Man One Vote Freedom Register Now SNCC" The photographs record the approach of deputies and the arrest of the young black child for quietly holding up the voting rights poster. Samuel Newall appears in the photos to be around nine or ten years old.
"Across the United States, people were shocked that Dr. King encouraged children to join in the civil rights struggle. 'A hundred times I have been asked,' he said, 'why we have allowed children to march in demonstrations, to freeze and suffer in jails, to be exposed to bullets and dynamite. The answer is simple. Our children and our families are maimed a little every day of our lives. If we can end an incessant torture by an single climactic confrontation, the risks are acceptable.'"
While Samuel Newall was getting arrested in Selma in the summer of 1964 for quietly holding a voting rights protest sign aloft, I was a nine-year-old spending the summer flipping baseball cards, riding my banana bike, playing kickball in the street, swimming at the beach, listening to the Beatles, reading Beverly Cleary, Walter Brooks, and the Sunday funnies, and regularly experiencing feelings of confusion and discomfort over the films running on the nightly newscasts of violence being perpetrated against Civil Rights protesters in the South. I was an attentive student -- both at school and at catechism -- and what I was seeing on TV just did not make sense given what I was being taught. What was it that I was missing?
I stare at these photos of Samuel Newall, a black kid in Alabama dressed in an outfit so similar to those I wore as a child on Long Island, and I think about how easily, by virtue of birth, I could have been him.
"'Don't worry about your children,' Dr. King had reassured parents. 'Don't hold them back if they want to go to jail.' He was in awe of their willingness and bravery. 'They are doing a job for not only themselves but for all of America and for all of mankind. They are carving a tunnel of hope through the great mountain of despair.'"
Chronicling in word and in image the brutal and sometimes deadly events in early 1965 that led to the Selma march and to the subsequent passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, Elizabeth Partridge focuses MARCHING FOR FREEDOM on the role of children participating in the Civil Rights movement. The author sought out members of my generation who were children at the center of the action during those tumultuous and tragic days when peacefully protesting Americans were arrested and sometimes murdered at the hands of racist mobs and Southern white cops. It is powerful to hear recollections of now-grownup-kids who actually can be seen in the forty-four year old photographs that Partridge has selected for the book -- photos that visually immerse readers in the spirit of the Civil Rights movement.
A fact that is emphasized again and again by these photos is that the local churches played a pivotal role in the movement. We repeatedly see the young people either singing or listening intently inside, or standing outside their churches. We read how the marchers would retreat, oftentimes bleeding, to the sanctuary of a church.
Count me as one of my generation who grew up to reject the dictates of the church in which I was raised just as surely as I rejected my father's politics. I was content to grow up and leave both of their houses. Contemplating the significant and positive role that these churches clearly played in the lives of these young people in the Civil Rights movement has me wondering about what my children's generation may have lost out on as a result of the widespread disaffection that has caused so many of my generation to reject traditional religious institutions and raise our children without benefit of the community engendered by those churches.
"Oh freedom
Oh freedom
Oh freedom over me!
And before I'll be a slave
I'll be buried in my grave
And go home to my Lord and be free"
Another reoccurring focus of Partridge's work are the songs of the movement that were being sung inside and outside of those churches. The author asked of those she interviewed about the songs that gave meaning to their struggle, and space amidst the text is provided for samples of those songs.
"'It's the good times that make you cry,' Charles told me. 'Not the bad times. You've seen something be accomplished and it really is heart-rending.'"
The times have been really good lately. I've cried a lot over the past year as I did what I could to help Barack Obama -- who was a little boy of color living in Hawaii while the events in 1965 Alabama were transpiring -- change the course of American history. For the little boy still inside of me who could not wrap his mind around the variance between what was being taught in school about the freedoms supposedly enjoyed by Americans, in catechism about the teachings and example set by Jesus, and the state-sanctioned violence that was brought into our Long Island living room on the evening news, MARCHING FOR FREEDOM does a stellar job -- visually and textually -- of helping make sense of what was taking place in those troubled times.
Through it, young readers should come to recognize that the most important part of becoming an adult in America is having the right and obligation of making informed choices at the ballot box. In my lifetime, and for my peers, people died to secure that sacred right.
Richie Partington, MLIS
Richie's Picks http://richiespicks.pbworks.com
https://www.facebook.com/richiespicks/
richiepartington@gmail.com
March 7, 2010
This is a fantastic book for middle school students. From the first line this narrative is gripping - "The first time Joanne Blackmon was arrested, she was just ten years old." Partridge tells the story of the children and young adolescents who risked their lives to protest for their parents' right to vote. They were arrested, jailed, beaten along the way. The visuals - primary source photographs - are compelling and can easily serve as conversation starters.
Recommended for reading aloud or small group literature circle discussions as part of an integrated unit on the Civil Rights Movement.
Supplemental primary sources include -
1) Listen to President Johnson’s speech just before signing the Act - http://www.history.com/audio/lyndon-j...
2) Listen to the spiritual "Oh, Freedom" sung during many of the protests
at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yHmUPq...
3) Explore the Chicago School Boycott when children and adolescents protested for better school conditions at http://facingfreedom.org/public-prote...
Recommended for reading aloud or small group literature circle discussions as part of an integrated unit on the Civil Rights Movement.
Supplemental primary sources include -
1) Listen to President Johnson’s speech just before signing the Act - http://www.history.com/audio/lyndon-j...
2) Listen to the spiritual "Oh, Freedom" sung during many of the protests
at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yHmUPq...
3) Explore the Chicago School Boycott when children and adolescents protested for better school conditions at http://facingfreedom.org/public-prote...
January 17, 2012
In honor of Dr. King's birthday I wanted to read a book on something to do with his life. While not a very large book, it's a great read. Marching for Freedom tells the story of Dr. King's voting rights march from Selma, Alabama to Montgomery, Alabama. This book demonstrates the power of non-violence and the strength of standing up for what is right.
It seems every time I pick up a book on American history I am further amazed at the rich, complex stories that are there. The courage that these men and women had in the face of just pure hatred is inspiring. I had never heard of "Bloody Sunday" before. It took place on March 7, 1965. Hundreds marched right into a situation where they knew they were going beaten and tear gassed by police officers.
I was struck by how so many young people were involved in these marches. Numerous high school students marched and peacefully protested all while being beaten by batons, fists, and even tear gas. They did nothing in response except stand with courage.
Genre: Informational; American history
Lexile: 960
It seems every time I pick up a book on American history I am further amazed at the rich, complex stories that are there. The courage that these men and women had in the face of just pure hatred is inspiring. I had never heard of "Bloody Sunday" before. It took place on March 7, 1965. Hundreds marched right into a situation where they knew they were going beaten and tear gassed by police officers.
I was struck by how so many young people were involved in these marches. Numerous high school students marched and peacefully protested all while being beaten by batons, fists, and even tear gas. They did nothing in response except stand with courage.
Genre: Informational; American history
Lexile: 960
December 6, 2015
Marching For Freedom: Walk Together, Children, and Don’t You Grow Weary is an incredibly moving novel, written by Elizabeth Partridge. She tells us the stories of many young African American people who risked their life to march and fight for their rights. This is a historical event that everyone in America knows about, but Partridge is able to give her readers a unique insight to these events, being told as by young African Americans and even giving readers pictures to go with the journeys described. This is a great book to have in my database because it shows from a younger child's perspective what it was like to be there and fight and march for your rights. This is important to any student because if the student is more informed about the past and racism of the past, then hopefully they will be less likely to be racist. It will do well to be on my bookshelf in my classroom for this. This teaches very important lessons and is invaluable.
Partridge, E. (2010). Marching For Freedom: Walk Together, Children, and Don’t You Grow Weary. New York, NY. Viking.
Partridge, E. (2010). Marching For Freedom: Walk Together, Children, and Don’t You Grow Weary. New York, NY. Viking.
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