Black History Month was designed to correct the omission of blacks from the teaching of American history. It has always annoyed me, therefore, that the teaching of black history often omits another group: youth. While the contributions of Martin Luther King and Rosa Parks are heralded, the equally significant contributions of teenagers such as Barbara Johns and Claudette Colvin are omitted.
So you can image my delight when I walked past a Barnes & Noble last week and saw their Black History Month display included the recent Phillip Hoose book, Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice. Yes! There's now a book about Claudette Colvin, the teenager who did what Rosa Parks did, but did it first, and who also took part in the lawsuit that finally ended segregated seating on busses.
This is long overdue. And now that I've read the book, I'm pleased to report it is well-written and was eye-opening even for me. Among other surprises, this book shows how Colvin was attacked not only by segregationists, but by other blacks, even by other black teenagers angry that her courage had only underscored their cowardice.
I had heard Colvin was bitter about Rosa Parks getting all the attention Colvin herself should have gotten, but Phillip Hoose's extensive interviews and research reveal a woman who pragmatically accepted that the arrest of an older woman would arouse more sympathy in this society than the arrest of a teenager, and who liked Parks on a personal level. (After Colvin's arrest, it was Parks who connected Colvin with the Civil Rights community and helped raise money for Colvin's legal defense before finally following Colvin's example of defiance herself.)
Sadly, this book was published as a "book for young readers," so even though it won the National Book Award, it hasn't received that much attention. This sophisticated book will engage adults and youth alike. It's for anyone who wants to learn about American history.
Everyone should read this book.