She Stood for Freedom: The Untold Story of a Civil Rights Hero, Joan Trumpauer Mulholland - Hardcover

Loki Mulholland

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1629721778 ISBN 13: 9781629721774

Publisher: Shadow Mountain, 2016

Synopsis

Joan Trumpauer Mulholland was a white teenager in the South during Segregation who put herself on the front lines of the Civil Rights struggle. This is the first biography about her experiences, published simultaneously in picture book and middle grade editions, detailing the many events she participated in. She attended demonstrations and sit-ins and was one of the Freedom Riders in 1961 who was arrested and put on death row for months at the notorious Parchman Penitentiary. She was the first white person to join in the 1963 Woolworth s lunch counter sit-ins in Jackson, Mississippi, and that same year participated in the March on Washington with Dr. Martin Luther King and the Selma to Montgomery march in 1965 which contributed to the passage of the landmark Voting Rights Act that year. Her willingness to stand up for justice has been an inspiration, ''Anyone can make a difference. It doesn't matter how old or young you are. Find a problem, get some friends together, and go fix it. Remember, you don't have to change the world . . . just change your world.''

The edition for readers ages 8 and older uses collage art and blends photographs from the period with the text, and features sidebar commentary from Joan, reflecting on those years. It also includes riveting primary source documents from Joan's personal archives like the letter sent to Joan's mother during Joan's arrest at Parchman Penitentiary. On official letterhead of the state, the warden exhibits the deep racism of the time by admonishing her mother for permitting a ''white minor girl to gang up with a bunch of Negro bucks and white hoodlums.'' This edition of She Stood for Freedom unforgettably and insightfully conveys the turmoil and tone of the Civil Rights era.

About this title

About the Author:

Loki Mulholland is an award-winning filmmaker. His film, An Ordinary Hero, tells his mother's story and is featured at the National Civil Rights Museum and at He is the Executive Director of the Joan Trumpauer Mulholland Foundation.

Charlotta Janssen was born in Maine to German parents. She studied art at the University of the Arts in Berlin, Germany. Her art has been showcased in more than forty gallery exhibitions worldwide, and she has been featured in American Art Collector magazine, The New Yorker, New York Daily News, The Tennessean, Oprah.com, and HipHopWired.com.

Review:

''Martin Luther King, Jr. once said, 'One day, the South will recognize its heroes'. Joan Trumpauer Mulholland is one of those heroes. You cannot tell the story of America's Civil Rights Movement without talking about the sit-ins, the Freedom Rides, the March on Washington, the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing, Freedom Summer, and the Selma to Montgomery march. How amazing in this book to tell all those stories through the life of one women-Joan Trumpaurer Mulholland, whose uncommon courage and unflinching perseverance continue to inspire us all.'' --Jerry Mitchell, winner of more than 20 national journalism awards for his reporting on the Civil Rights Movement

''A wonderfully written book about a wonderful, worthy hero. An individual who I greatly admire.''
-Hank Thomas, Civil Rights activist, one of the original Freedom Riders, one of the founders of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee

''She Stood for Freedom will help young people understand that ''ordinary'' people, like Joan Trumpauer Mulholland, were as important to the successes gained during the Civil Rights Movement, as better known players like Rosa Parks and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Her story also illustrates that you are never too young to do the right thing. This book will help young people better understand how they too can be heroes and ''s-heroes'' and stand up for justice and equality for all people.'' --Terri Lee Freeman, President, National Civil Rights Museum

''Good read for any parent trying to explain how history repeats.''-Bill Weir, CNN Anchor

''This well-written and beautifully illustrated book is one to be savored and shared with future generations who may need to look within themselves for similar courage.'' -Simeon Booker, award-winning journalist and author of Shocking the Conscience: A Reporter's Account of the Civil Rights Movement

''She Stood for Freedom tells the story of Joan Trumpauer Mulholland, an ardent, devoted fighter for the cause of equal justice. The desire she had to right the wrongs of her country took her from a college campus to downtown street demonstrations and then to jail. She truly deserves the descriptor 'foot soldier' having lived the life of one while standing for freedom in the only way she knew she could. The book is a testament to both Joan and the many other unknown individuals who worked so hard to accomplish so much.'' -Birmingham Civil Rights Institute

''This readable, fast-paced narrative illustrates why a young white woman would feel compelled to join the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s. It was simple, actually: she was a Southerner, a Christian, an American and it was the right thing to do.'' -William Pretzer, Senior Curator, Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture

''With the focus on Black Lives Matter comes the discussion of what it means to be a white ally. Loki Mulholland's biography of his mother, She Stood for Freedom contributes to that process...Mulholland explores the life experiences that led to his mother's decision to fight for racial justice even though it meant turning away from her own family and community. Joan Trumpauer was in no way a major figure or 'white savior' but rather a foot soldier of the Civil Rights movement who shared the experience of facing down state terror and brutality along with her black and white peers. In this way, She Stood for Freedom is a fitting companion to other biographies and histories of ordinary young people in the movement...The short sections are arranged chronologically, and each describes a key event in Joan Trumpauer's life or a single topic such as the dangers of demonstrations, the lifelong friendships that she made, and the lessons she passed on to her children. -The Pirate Tree: Social Justice in Children's Literature

''A biography that gives readers little glimpses or vignettes into what it was like to be a Freedom Rider and fighter for the Civil Rights movement...these little glimpses whet the reader's appetite to learn more about those who stood on the front lines of the fight for Civil Rights. Hopefully, this book will influence readers, young and old, to do the same. Very visual...especially noteworthy are copies of original pictures and documents found throughout the book that support or highlight the facts given on that page. Seeing pictures of Joan throughout her story made the history come to life. Would make either a great introduction to that time period or would be a great book for someone wanting to find a more personal voice for the history.'' -Compass Book Ratings

Named a Notable Social Studies Trade Books for Young People 2017, a cooperative project of the National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS) and the Children's Book Council --National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS) and the Children's Book Council

About this edition

• Publisher: Shadow Mountain
• Publication date: 2016
• ISBN 10: 1629721778
• ISBN 13: 9781629721774
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 64
• Illustrator: Charlotta Janssen