That They Lived: African Americans Who Changed the World (Painted Turtle Press) - Softcover

Riley, Rochelle; Smith-Jones, Cristi

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0814347541 ISBN 13: 9780814347546

Publisher: Wayne State University Press, 2021

Synopsis

In February 2017, Rochelle Riley was reading Twitter posts and came across a series of black-and-white photos of four-year-old Lola dressed up as different African American women who had made history. Rochelle was immediately smitten. She was so proud to see this little girl so powerfully honor the struggle and achievement of women several decades her senior. Rochelle reached out to Lola's mom, Cristi Smith-Jones, and asked to pair her writing with Smith-Jones's incredible photographs for a book. The goal? To teach children on the cusp of puberty that they could be anything they aspired to be, that every famous person was once a child who, in some cases, overcame great obstacles to achieve.

That They Lived: African Americans Who Changed the World features Riley's grandson, Caleb, and Lola photographed in timeless black and white, dressed as important individuals such as business owners, educators, civil rights leaders, and artists, alongside detailed biographies that begin with the figures as young children who had the same ambitions, fears, strengths, and obstacles facing them that readers today may still experience. Muhammad Ali's bike was stolen when he was twelve years old and the police officer he reported the crime to suggested he learn how to fight before he caught up with the thief. Bessie Coleman, the first African American female aviator, collected and washed her neighbors' dirty laundry so she could raise enough money for college. When Duke Ellington was seven years old, he preferred playing baseball to attending the piano lessons his mom had arranged.

That They Lived fills in gaps in the history that American children have been taught for generations. For African American children, it will prove that they are more than descendants of the enslaved. For all children, it will show that every child can achieve great things and work together to make the world a better place for all.

That They Lived was made possible through a grant provided by the Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan.

About this title

About the Author

Rochelle Riley is Director of Arts and Culture for the city of Detroit. The author, essayist, and arts advocate ended a nearly twenty-year stint in 2019 as a columnist for the Detroit Free Press, where she was an award-winning voice for children and advocate for improved education, government, and race relations. She is editor of The Burden: African Americans and the Enduring Impact of Slavery (Wayne State University Press, 2018). She calls herself "a writer by trade, warrior by necessity." Cristi Smith-Jones is a stay-at-home mom turned amateur photographer, who lives with her husband and daughters, Lola and Eden (and their cat, dog, and chickens) in Kent, WA. She enjoys finding creative ways to bring art and history to life for her girls and dedicates her efforts at documenting history to her grandmother, Mary Smith, who died in 2019. "She was the first African-American woman to change MY world," Cristi says.

Reviews

Gr 4-6-This remarkable biography collection centered on the lives and accomplishments of African American trailblazers stands out because of the photography. Each profile is 10 pages or less and includes two photos, one of the subject and one of a Black child dressed as the subject. This depiction of the historical figures as children is incredibly poignant, allowing readers to picture themselves as powerful changemakers. Familiar people are included, such as Martin Luther King Jr., Frederick Douglass, Aretha Franklin, Harriet Tubman, and Thurgood Marshall. The volume also features activists, artists, and advocates who may be unknown to children, such as Duke Ellington and Barbara Jordan. This work could be applied across curricula, in addition to serving as a useful resource in history and reading lessons. VERDICT A unique perspective in African American history. Recommended for upper elementary and early middle grade students.-Christina Salazar, Mesquite I.S.D., TXα(c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Edition details

• Publisher: Wayne State University Press
• Publication date: 2021
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0814347541
• ISBN 13: 9780814347546
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 160