Ocean State Libraries

"Coretta Scott King is known for being the wife of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., but she was a civil rights activist and leader in her own right! She was a singer and an author too, and her work made a difference for Black Americans and for all women for decades to come"--

"Born in Missouri in 1928, Maya Angelou had a difficult childhood. Jim Crow laws segregated blacks and whites in the South. Her family life was unstable at times. But much like her poem, "Still I Rise," Angelou was able to lift herself out of her situation and flourish. She moved to California and became the first black and first female streetcar operator before following her interest in dance. She became a professional performer in her twenties and...

A biography of the black playwright who received great recognition for her work at an early age.

"Aretha Franklin was legendary singer and activist. Her music helped shape the civil rights movement and inspired many people. 'Aretha Franklin: Legendary Singer' explores her life and legacy"--Provided by publisher.

"Explores the life of black educator and leader Booker T. Washington, discussing how he helped shape the education system for African Americans in the aftermath of slavery."--

An examination of the women leaders in the civil rights movement in the United States.

"Mahalia Jackson was known as the queen of gospel music. A close friend of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.{u2019}s, she was also a civil rights activist who sang at the March on Washington. And she traveled the world, too!"--

"Across history, activists have worked, marched, and spoken out for equality and justice--and many had moving, relatable childhood stories. Martin Luther King Jr. argued with his dad about whether dancing was a sin. Harvey Milk had a passion for opera. Dolores Huerta was wrongly accused of plagiarizing. Kid activists tells these stories and more through engaging biographies and full-color illustrations on nearly every page. Learn about Susan B. Anthony,...

"A biography of John Lewis, Georgia Congressman and one of the 'Big Six' civil rights leaders of the 1960s, focusing on his youth and culminating in the voter registration drives that sparked 'Bloody Sunday,' as hundreds of people walked across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama. Includes a note by Congressman Lewis and a timeline"--Provided by publisher.

During the early 1960s, as a spokesperson for a black religious group known as the Nation of Islam, Malcolm X argued against the nonviolent tactics favored by most civil rights leaders. He proposed instead a revolutionary program to create a separate society for African Americans. Malcolm moderated his views after his religious conversion to a mainstream sect of Islam in 1964. Although Malcolm was assassinated the next year, his call for black self-determination...