Let It Shine! A Celebration of You -- Book Review and Reflections on MLK Day

 

Disclosure: I was sent a copy of this book in order to provide an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Today is the holiday to celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. It is a time to reflect on his words and work as well as a time to volunteer and help others. For me I am taking time to reflect on our country and where we are. I am also sharing an amazing picture book that is being released this week that honestly made me think of Dr. King's words. As we see in the news and on our social media that American citizens are being arrested by ICE for not having proof of their citizenship on them, I feel it is an important time to think about the work and words of Dr. King. Our president has created a country of fear and racism with his ICE officers and is spending more money on ICE than most things. This scares me. I am scared for people of color. I am scared for women. I am scared for the LGBTQ+ community. I am scared for America. The hostility that is just growing more and more is getting to a breaking point. This is very scary and it makes me wonder if the United States will survive. I have decided not to focus on the news and awful stories around me but to look for hope and joy this year. Joy is my word for 2026. So with that thought I am going to share with you a beautiful picture book called Let It Shine! A Celebration of You by Carole Boston Weatherford and illustrated by Tequitia Andrews. It is recommended for ages 4 to 8.

The Juneteenth Story and Fun Facts about Juneteenth

 

Disclosure: I was given a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Do you know what Juneteenth is? Do you know why it is a holiday? Do you know how it is celebrated or when? Today I am sharing a new book that answers these questions and more. And I'm going to share some fun facts about Juneteenth too. We will start with the fun facts! On June 19, 1865, General Gordon Granger announced in Galveston, Texas that the slaves were free by order of the President of the United States. The next year the first Juneteenth was celebrated.

Mary Edmonia (Wildfire) Lewis -- the First Person of Color to Be a Famous Sculptor

 

Today we continue our celebration of Women's History Month by learning about the first person of color who became famous as a sculptor. Besides being a famous artist, she also had a very interesting life story and background. Throughout her life she dealt with racism and sexism. She was orphaned at a young age. She was biracial--Black and Native American. Her name is Edmonia Lewis or Mary Edmonia Lewis or Wildfire. 

History Smashers Women's Right to Vote

 

Disclosure: I was sent a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

The other day my husband and I were discussing current events and the differing views in society. We are on opposite sides politically. We were discussing a bit of the discrimination going on in our country. My husband being a white, conservative man is pretty sick of being blamed. I am trying to educate him that part of the problem is he doesn't realize his part in the discrimination and how it is built into our society. We talked about history books. My conservative friends have been posting many things about how awful it is that people don't teach the traditional history any more. I asked him who wrote the history books when we were kids. I asked him which women he learned about in history. He told me the important ones, then he started listing people like Harriet Tubman and Susan B. Anthony. I asked him if he knew who Elizabeth Cady Stanton was. He said no. I used this information and the knowledge from today's book to make my point. In fact today's book let's us know that Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton wrote the official history of the women's suffrage movement before it was over and that is what is taught still today. 

George Edwin Taylor -- Black History Month

This year for Black History Month we are going to talk politics. Now I will admit I hate talking politics. Mostly I hate it because I think all of the people we have elected (and have choices to elect) are selfish and power hungry and don't do a good job. Personally I feel they should be paying the citizens every day that they don't actually decide anything for the better of the country (which would be every day). However I am going to put my hatred aside today and talk about some of the history of the United States President elections. We all know back in 2008, Barrack Obama made history as the first black United States President. Did you know he was not the first black man to run for President? 

Two Books for #BlackHistoryMonth and a Personal Journey Brought by One of Them

Disclosure: I was sent these books in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

It is hard to believe that February is ending this week. I know something I really enjoy in February is learning more Black History. I love all the new books out as well as my friend's posts on Facebook about various black people in history. (He is a vice principal now but was a history teacher and is black.) This year we have already shared with you many new books including ones on Frederick Douglass, the Underground Railroad, black heroes, Harriet Tubman, as well as about the black women of NASA. Today we are sharing two books. The first is a wonderful introduction book to black history. It is A Child's Introduction to African American History by Jabari Asim and illustrated by Lynn Gaines. 

Sharing Saturday 18-7

It is time again for Sharing Saturday! This is a link party to share all of your child-oriented crafts, crafts made for kids, activities and lessons as well as your parenting and/or teaching posts. So glad you joined us!!

On Sunday night we also host Crafty Weekends for all your crafts (done by any age), patterns, and craft product reviews! It is the perfect place to share your creative side!! And for all your diverse/cultural posts be sure to share them at Creative Kids Culture Blog Hop. 

Frederick Douglass

Disclosure: Abrams Books sent me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. 


As we continue our way through Black History Month, I keep finding more and more wonderful books to share with you. Today's is about a famous name, Frederick Douglass. How much do you know about Frederick Douglass? I knew his name and knew he was an escaped slave and abolitionist, but not a whole lot more. The book is Facing Frederick: The Life of Frederick Douglass, a Monumental American Man by Tonya Bolden. 

Black History Month: Learning about Thurgood Marshall

Congratulations to Rebecca, Natalie and Michele for winning the Baker's Passports Little Bites!

February is Black History Month! Carter G. Woodson, an American historian, started Black History Week in 1926. He chose a week in February to honor the birthdays of Frederick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln. To me Black History Month really starts with Martin Luther King, Jr,'s birthday. Multicultural Kid Blogs is hosting a blog hop which I am participating in, and I wrote the introduction post for the MKB blog. This year is the 50th anniversary of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. To celebrate this, the theme of Black History Month this year is Civil Rights in America. (Source) However MKB has decided to extend this to Worldwide Civil Rights. Throughout February I will look at different people, events and more of the Civil Rights Movement and some ways I am introducing it to Hazel. Today we are going to look at Thurgood Marshall.

NAACP Leaders (Source: By New York World-Telegram and the Sun staff photographer:
Al Ravenna [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons)

Now I knew Thurgood Marshall was the first African American Supreme Court Justice, but I did not know his role in the Civil Rights Movement. I happened to take a book out of the library on Thurgood Marshall and read it to Hazel. The book, A Picture Book of Thurgood Marshall, by David A. Adler is a wonderful book to introduce younger children to Thurgood. Marshall.

Thurgood Marshall was born on July 2, 1908 in Baltimore, Maryland. He was named after his grandfather, Thoroughgood Marshall. His grandfather was a freed slave who served in the Union army during the Civil War. Thurgood shortened his name in the second grade because he did not like writing the long name, Thoroughgood. As a child, Thurgood was a trouble maker. He often was punished in school. The principal punished him by sending him to the basement of the school with a copy of the United States Constitution. He was not allowed to come back to class without having a portion of it memorized. Before he graduated, Thurgood said he made it through every paragraph.

His father, William, worked as a waiter. He enjoyed reading about trials and went to watch them in the visitors gallery whenever he could. William Marshall was the first African American to serve on a Baltimore grand jury. William taught his sons to debate and to prove whatever they said. He also taught his sons to be proud of themselves and their race. Thurgood's mother, Norma, was an elementary school teacher. She believed in hard work and a good education. She sold her wedding and engagement rings to help pay for Thurgood's law school expenses.

In 1925 Thurgood went to Lincoln University in Pennsylvania. He joined some African American friends who did silent protests against segregation while in college. He also met Vivian Burey who was a student at the University of Pennsylvania. In 1929 Thurgood and Vivian married. In 1930 Thurgood graduated from Lincoln University with honors. He wanted to go to law school and in particular he wanted to go law school at the University of Maryland. The University of Maryland was an all white school and did not admit him. He went to law school at Howard University in Washington D.C.

At law school, Thurgood discovered that law was what he always wanted to do with his life and devoted himself to his studies. One teacher he had was Charles Hamilton Houston. Houston worked at the NAACP and was the first African American to win a case before the United States Supreme Court. He taught Thurgood and all his students to use the law to fight segregation and discrimination. Thurgood graduated law school in 1933 and opened a law office in Baltimore. Then he began working for Houston and the NAACP.

Source: Thomas J. O'Halloran, U.S. News & World Report Magazine
[Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

In 1935, Thurgood Marshall one his first case against segregation. He and Houston argued for the right of Donald Murray to be admitted to University of Maryland Law School. They won the case and Donald Murray became the first African American to be admitted to the law school that Thurgood Marshall had once been denied access. In 1938 Thurgood Marshall became chief lawyer for the NAACP. In 1940 he argued and won his first case before the United States Supreme Court. He won twenty-nine of the thirty-two cases he tried before the Supreme Court. His most famous victory was in Brown versus Board of Education of Topeka in 1954. This was the court case decision the made all the schools desegregated.

In 1954 Thurgood Marshall stopped working to stay home to care for his sick wife, Vivian. She had cancer and died in February 1955. Later that year Thurgood Marshall met Cecilia Suyat. They married and had two sons.

Source: See page for author [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

Thurgood Marshall continued to fight segregation and became known as Mr. Civil Rights. In 1961 President Kennedy nominated Thurgood Marshall to be a judge on the United States Court of Appeals. It took almost a year for the Senate to approve his nomination. Four years later President Johnson appointed him United States Solicitor General, the government's top lawyer. His nomination was approved in just one day. Then on June 13, 1967, President Johnson nominated him to be a justice on the Supreme Court. He became the first African American Supreme Court judge. He remained a Supreme Court judge for twenty-four years. He retired in 1991 because of poor health. Justice Thurgood Marshall died on January 24, 1993. He was eighty-four years-old. He is buried in Arlington National Cemetery.

Source: By Okamoto, Yoichi R. (Yoichi Robert) Photographer
[Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

 Sources: Wikipedia and A Picture Book of Thurgood Marshall by David A. Alder

 Some other books to check out (some I have looked at and some I have not):

 Civil Rights Movement Books that have Thurgood Marshall in them:

Justice Thurgood Marshall played a significant role in the Civil Rights Movement in America. Some say his victory in Brown versus the Board of Education Topeka, was what many African Americans needed to truly start fighting for equal rights. He is just one of many who played significant roles in fighting for equality. I hope you will join us as we explore others as well and check out all the great posts shared here to learn more about Civil Rights Movements worldwide. 

We have not done any activities or lessons, however here are some around the web you can try:

• Coloring Page from Enchanted Learning
• Lesson Plans from Read Write Think (mostly for older students)
• Thurgood Marshall Makes a Difference Lesson/Craft from Crayola
• Many lesson plans, activities, power point presentation on Teachers Pay Teachers and some are free!

Multicultural Kid Blogs is sponsoring a blog hop in honor of Black History Month. Please visit the participating blogs below to learn a bit more about the leaders of the Civil Rights Movement worldwide. Join the discussion in our Google+ community, and follow our Black History board on Pinterest! You can also share your own posts about Black History below. 
 

Participating Blogs

Crafty Moms Share

Multicultural Kid Blogs

Africa to America

Discovering the World Through My Son's Eyes

Kid World Citizen

Sugarfoots

All Done Monkey