Heroes for Civil Rights

This was a great example of a biographical picture book! It introduced in a surprising amount of detail various important figures in the Civil Rights Movement. For a student looking to learn more about that time in history, it is a wonderful reference.
Uses: I might spend a history unit simply going through the different people in this book and using this book as a guide. We might go over one person every week or so and study them in detail, introducing each person by their section in this book.
Medium: pastel

This is a wonderful example of a biography. This particular biography follows the most influential people during the Civil Rights Movement. It highlights their accomplishments and contributions to the movements while also talking about their lives. This would a be a great way to start a lesson on the Civil Rights Movement, no matter the age group. It is a great tool to aide in certain research projects revolving around the Civil Rights Movement.
Media: Oil Paint

This is a compilation of short, one-page bios of many people involved in the Civil Rights movement of the 50s and 60s. Heroes includes well-known figures (MLK, Rosa Parks), as well as lesser-known figures (Fannie Lou Hamer who helped found the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party). One of my favorite American heroes, Thurgood Marshall is also profiled. One notable difference in this book from others of the same genre, is the inclusion of many Whites that also helped the Civil Rights cause (LBJ, Chief Justice Earl Warren). Direct quotes from each of the subjects is included.

Each bio is accompanied by a full-page colored painting with the subject in the foreground and a related event from Civil Rights history in the background. (e.g., show more The Greensboro Four with a background of picketers outside F.W. Woolworth Co.)

A Chronology, Source Notes, and a Bibliography coomplete this short, 32-page book.

Heroes for Civil Rights can serve as a great subject introduction, or the bios can be read individually, as needed, in conjunction with Black History month programs. Easy-to-read text makes it possible for younger readers to use this book for simple biography assignments. show less

Adler's book is made up of 13 brief biographies of Civil Rights leaders, including Martin Luther King, Rosa Parks, Lyndon Johnson, and the Little Rock Nine. Each person or group is profiled with one page of text and a full page collage painting. The biographies are concise and include quotes from or about each subject. Together, they paint a picture of injustice, primarily in the south, towards African Americans during this time period and how these leaders fought injustice through nonviolent means. This book could be used by late elementary and middle school students to learn more about this topic or as reference material.

Art medium used: paint

This book gives profiles of people who nonviolently fought for Civil Rights in the South. It includes a variety of entries, including some of lesser-known people.

Short biographies focussing on key events in the lives of Ralph Abernathy, Medgar Evers, Andreww Goodman, James Earl Chaney, Michael Henry Schwerner, Ezell Blair, Jr Franklin McCain, Joseph McNeil, David Richmond, Jibreel Khazan, Fannie Lou Hamer, Lyndon Baines Johnson, Martin Luther King, Minnijean Brown, Elizabeth Eckford, Ernest Green, Thelma Mothershed, Melba Pattillo, Gloria Ray, Terrence Roberts, Jefferson, Thomas, Carlotta Wells, James Meredith, Rosa Parks, Fred Shuttlesworth, Earl Warren. Also provides a chronology, source notes and bibliography.

Brief histories on civil rights activists - black and white alike.