Yohuru Williams

"The Panther ideological platform, not constricted to narrowly defined black nationalism, was broad enough to inspire and welcome non-black people, while simultaneously affirming both racial and ethnic pride in a way that did not demand xenophobic pandering", page 78, essay written by Jeffrey O. G. Ogbar.

Man, if you had told me a few years ago that the Black Panther Party (previously the Black Panther Party for Self-Defense) was a terrorist organization, I maybe wouldn't have looked further, show more but I'll be damned if this book wasn't illuminating.

The FBI treated the Panthers like a terorist organization, but the only reason I can think of for this is that the FBI is a bunch or racist assholes, who additionally took incredible ideas (like free breakfast for kids, for example) from the BPP and not only discredited the source but refused to give proper citations. Fuck that noise.

Those who object and say that the BPP is a terrorist organization because it put guns in the hands of their members forget that the NRA does the same thing for white people today, and clearly didn't know that training was required before you got a gun as part of your membership.

In case it wasn't clear, I highly recommend this book be required reading for anyone high school and above. Mild profanity is used but it isn't forced, and the topic is incredibly relevant, still, today. show less

This book dives into the work to plan the March on Washington. It delves into leadership, varying factions, politics, and personalities. It is full of primary sources. I thought it was fascinating. I wondered about middle school readers having sustained engagement with the text. Thoughtfully researched and nuanced with the complexity of putting together the event. Has discussion questions.

This book details the planning behind the March on Washington. I learned a great deal from the original plan being scrapped pretty close to "THE" day with a new plan. The fighting amongst themselves shows that not everyone agreed on the same path to economic freedom for black American. The planning and lack of violence was a feat! I understood the disappointment from the women that they had been pushed aside. The men didn't acknowledge the role black women made in the fight. A couple of show more women spoke, but the speakers were men. Some white people who supported the black efforts made a few demands in order to participate, which I found tacky. Looking at the pictures, I was amazed how nicely everyone was dressed in such hot weather. Finally, King's "I have a dream" speech was not completely planned. He felt the need to dip into a refrain from an earlier speech about a dream. His ability to speak showed his talent. All in all, I enjoyed learning about this famous civil rights event. I don't think many students will read this book. I have a hard time getting students to read about their own history, whether female, black, hispanic, etc. I would assume it is because they are too young. show less

Gr 6 Up—This outstanding biography chronicles the life of Robinson, focusing on his lifetime of activism in the face
of racism. With crisp, absorbing text, this compelling work demonstrates that Robinson's contributions to civil rights
were more than simply breaking the MLB color barrier.