Fight On!: Mary Church Terrell's Battle for Integration

by Dennis Brindell Fradin, Judith Bloom Fradin

The acclaimed civil rights leader Mary Church Terrell (1863–1954) is brought vividly to life in this well researched and compelling biography. The daughter of an ex-slave, Terrell was considered the best-educated black woman of her time. She was the first African American member of the Washington, D.C., Board of Education, and a founder of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). But perhaps her greatest triumph was waging a successful battle—at the age of 90—to integrate Washington, D.C., restaurants, a campaign that touched off similar protests throughout the nation. Counting such noted leaders as Frederick Douglass, Susan B. Anthony, Paul Laurence Dunbar, and Ida B. Wells among her friends, Mary Church Terrell was an important and influential woman in the battle for integration.

Once again, Dennis and Judith Fradin have drawn an inspiring portrait of courage and determination in the face of intolerance and injustice. Endnotes, bibliography, index.

Genres: Biography, Nonfiction, African American

192 pages, Hardcover

First published April 20, 2003

About the author

The award-winning author of nearly 300 non-fiction books for children and young adults, Dennis Fradin is known for his meticulous research, attention to detail and smooth, graceful writing.

Fradin attributes his success in part to years of teaching in the Chicago Public Schools. In order to hold his second graders’ attention at the end of the day, he would spin stories about crayons in distress and birds with broken wings. One such story caught the attention of an editor who asked him to write a series of books about the United States. The Sea to Shining Sea series (Children's Press), launched Dennis's career as a full-time author.

Dennis Fradin has written children's books on topics as varied as astronomy, colonial history, the Underground Railroad, slave escapes and scientific discoveries. He has written biographies of Thomas Jefferson, Samuel Adams, Jane Addams and Louis Braille, among others. Bound for the North Star is his riveting collection of true slave escape stories. The Power of One: Daisy Bates and the Little Rock Nine, co-authored with his wife Judy, was a Golden Kite Honor Book.

Dennis has collaborated with Larry Day on two picture books, Let It Begin Here! and Duel! with Walker Books. He's completed two dozen Turning Points books for Marshall Cavendish. Along with his wife Judy, Dennis wrote Five Thousand Miles to Freedom for National Geographic Children's Books, followed by their Witness to Disaster series.

Reviews

[Olivia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved this look at an intelligent, empowered woman's life as she fought against racism, worked to provide better education for children, and campaigned for the right to vote. Mary Church Terrell used her education and wealth to improve the social conditions of black Americans in the late 1800s to the mid 1900s.

This book was easy to read and well-researched. The sources in the back were helpful as well.

[Kristen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Clear biography but light on analysis.