More Than a Dream: The Radical March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom
by Yohuru Williams (Author)
Hailed as "an essential reeducation on one of the most consequential events in US history" by Ibram X. Kendi, this gripping middle-grade account offers a fresh look at the groundbreaking 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom by spotlighting the protest's radical roots and the underappreciated role of Black women--includes a wealth of contemporary black-and-white photos throughout.
Six decades ago, on August 28, 1963, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his iconic "I Have a Dream" speech during the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom--a moment often revered as the culmination of this Black-led protest. But at its core, the March on Washington was not a beautiful dream of future integration; it was a mass outcry for jobs and freedom NOW--not at some undetermined point in the future. It was a revolutionary march with its own controversies and problems, the themes of which still resonate to this day.
Without diminishing the words of Dr. King, More Than a Dream looks at the march through a wider lens, using Black newspaper reports as a primary resource, recognizing the overlooked work of socialist organizers and Black women protesters, and repositioning this momentous day as radical in its roots, methods, demands, and results. From Yohuru Williams and Michael G. Long, the acclaimed authors of Call Him Jack, comes a classic-in-the-making that will transform our modern understanding of this legendary event in the fight for racial justice and civil rights.
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Kirkus Reviews
Coherent, compellingly passionate, rich in sometimes-startling and consistently well-founded insights.
Booklist
School Library Journal
Gr 5 Up--A detailed account of the 1963 March on Washington, one of America's most iconic civil rights events. The book begins with the initial inspiration and planning, then continues to Martin Luther King Jr.'s final speech of the day and the closing remarks. With a remarkable blend of primary resources, firsthand accounts, and thought-provoking questions, readers will learn about the many important people of the Civil Rights Movement and the intricacies of executing such an event. Black-and-white photographs, newspaper clippings, pamphlets, advertisements, and quotes from everyday people bring the story to life and provide a vivid glimpse into history. A table of contents, extra steps, things to consider, acknowledgments, notes, image credits, and an index are all included. VERDICT A highly recommended addition to civil rights collections that are looking for a well-written and deeply informative title.--Kate Rao
Copyright 2023 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.Review quotes
Kirkus Reviews 150 Most Anticipated Books of the Fall
Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection
"A frank and perspicuous study of the watershed 1963 event in the Civil Rights Movement . . . Rather than build their thoroughly researched account around Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech, Williams and Long focus on what went on behind the scenes to organize the one-day March on Washington . . . Numerous photos and news clippings add immediacy to events, and though the main story closes with the dispersal of the crowd at the historic day's end, rich troves of additional facts and questions posed to readers spur further research and reflection. Coherent, compellingly passionate, rich in sometimes-startling and consistently well-founded insights." —Kirkus Reviews, starred review
"The authors have relied heavily on contemporary newspaper stories, a number of which are reproduced here along with a generous collection of black-and-white photos. Important appended material evidences the authors' deep research (18 pages of notes) and a collection of discussion questions. This is, in short, an indispensable work that belongs in every library." —Booklist, starred review
JNF025210 - Juvenile Nonfiction | History | United States/20th Century
JNF071000 - Juvenile Nonfiction | Social Activism & Volunteering
