Synergy: Gwynn Oak Amusement Park Civil Rights Protest

In the summer of 1963, non-violent protests were held at the Gywnn Oak Amusement Park in Baltimore, Maryland to condemn the park’s segregation policy. On August 28, 1963, the park was desegregated and eleven-month-old Sharon Langley was the first African American child to ride the park’s merry-go-around.

Read the recently published picture book and middle grade book on this topic, then learn more by watching the documentary:

A RIDE TO REMEMBER: A CIVIL RIGHTS STORY by Sharon Langley and Amy Nathan tells the story of the Gywnn Oak Amusement Park protests and young Sharon Langley’s experience riding the merry-go-round. This beautifully illustrated picture book concludes with historical information and a timeline.

Amy Nathan also wrote the middle and high school nonfiction text ROUND AND ROUND TOGETHER: TAKING A MERRY-GO-ROUND INTO THE CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT.

ALL THE KING’S HORSES: THE STORY OF GWYNN OAK AMUSEMENT PARK is a video documentary chronicling the efforts to desegregate the park. Told through eyewitness accounts and personal narrative, the video presents all sides of the issue.

ALL THE KING’S HORSES https://youtu.be/IPRMQH9PxFQ

ARC courtesy of Abrams Books for All Readers.

Book Review: Eleanore Roosevelt

ELEANOR ROOSEVELT: FIGHTER FOR JUSTICE by Ilene Cooper is a biography focusing on Roosevelt’s lasting impact.

Designed for intermediate and middle grade readers, this biography includes the basics of Roosevelt’s life. However this work of nonfiction places emphasis on her transformation into an advocate for social justice. The author uses a conversational approach to describe how Roosevelt overcame her own prejudices and used her powerful position to promote important causes such as the Civil Rights Movement. Historic photographs and other illustrations will contribute to the appeal of this title. The book includes a timeline, biography, and index.

Librarians will find their collection filled with books on Eleanor Roosevelt. What makes this book unusual is its emphasis on her national and international contributions to the Civil Rights Movement and other efforts related to social justice. Students doing reports on both Roosevelt and the Civil Rights Movement will find the book useful.

Published by Abrams Books for Young Readers on August 7, 2018. ARC courtesy of the publisher.

Website Review: Navigating the Green Book

NAVIGATING THE GREEN BOOK shares travel guides from the mid 20th century that catered to black travelers along with interactive mapping activities.

During the mid 20th century, African American travelers weren’t welcome at many restaurants and hotels. The Negro Travel’s Green Book was intended to provide guidance for black travelers.

Part of the NYPL Labs, this interactive online experience provides access to travel guides published from 1936 through 1966. Users can explore the guides, map a trip, or view data on a map. For the map trip project, users choose a date and enter two locations. Participants are then presented a map showing a route featuring food, lodging, and other stops along the way. Each stop shows a primary source document.

Librarians will find this website to be a fun way to teach the use of primary source documents while connecting to history content. Associate the project with the Civil Rights Movement and issues related to segregation and travel. Work with teachers to design an interdisciplinary project that involves math, history, social studies, and English. Consider connecting the mapping element to works of historical fiction from this time period.

To visit the website, go to http://publicdomain.nypl.org/greenbook-map/.

Digital Spotlight: Behind the Veil

BEHIND THE VEIL is a digital collection documenting African American Life in the Jim Crow South.

Contents: Housed at the Duke University Libraries, this collection includes 410 recorded oral histories tracing African-American life in the segregated American South through the mid 20th century. Users can locate oral histories by interview state, birth state, interviewee, gender, or occupation. Audio interviews include a transcript.

Classroom Connections: Teachers will find that these interviews provide personal insights into life during the Jim Crow era. Students will be attracted to the audio format. Ask students to listen to an interview and compare it with the experience of others in their small group.

Featured Digital Objects:
Dora Strong Dennis, Domestic Worker http://library.duke.edu/digitalco…/behindtheveil_btvct01115/
Easter Hinton Sanders, Educator http://library.duke.edu/digitalco…/behindtheveil_btvnc03032/
Booker T. Federick, Day Laborer http://library.duke.edu/digitalco…/behindtheveil_btvct03034/

To visit the collection, go tohttp://library.duke.edu/digitalcollections/behindtheveil/.

Book Review: The First Step: How One Girl Put Segregation on Trial

THE FIRST STEP: HOW ONE GIRL PUT SEGREGATION ON TRIAL by Susan E. Goodman tells the inspiring story of the first lawsuit focusing on segregated schools.

Set in the 1840s, this biographical picture book follows the experiences of a young African American girl named Sarah Roberts who sought to attend a white school in Boston. The book concludes by tracing Sarah’s legacy. Although she didn’t win her case, the experience did provide a few small steps forward at the beginning of the fight for civil rights.

Goodman’s straight forward, easy-to-understand narration makes this book an effective resource for classroom social studies and history activities. E.B. Lewis’ touching watercolor images capture the time period and fervor of the times.

The back matter includes useful information including a timeline, biographies, resource list, and author’s note.

Librarians will find that most students and teachers are familiar with the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s, however they may not realize that the fight against segregation began more than a century earlier in the courts. Use this picture book to jumpstart a discussion of the long history of the Civil Rights Movement.

To learn about the author, go to http://www.susangoodmanbooks.com/.
To learn about the illustrator, go to http://eblewis.com/.

Published by Bloomsbury on January 5, 2016. ARC Courtesy of the publisher.

App Review: Spies of Mississippi

SPIES OF MISSISSIPPI: AN APPUMENTARY brings the well-known book and documentary film by Rick Bowers alive for students.

Focusing on the activities of the Mississippi State Sovereignty Commission from 1956 to 1997, the app explores important stories of democracy, racial segregation, and even murder. The app actively engages users through text, audio, video, maps, photographs, and other historical, primary source materials. After a video introduction, users can watch a summary of the file, listen to a song, examine a visual timeline with photographs and other primary source documents, explore an interactive map featuring key locations, and view excerpts from the film.

In addition, lesson plans and resources for teachers are provided along with discussion questions.

Librarians will find this fascinating app to be an excellent resource for students and teachers exploring the Civil Rights movement in their social studies or history classes.

To download the app, go to https://itunes.apple.com/…/spies-mississippi-ap…/id853903402.

App Review: Freedom Summer and the Civil Rights Act of 1964

FREEDOM SUMMER AND THE CIVIL RIGHTS ACT OF 1964 app from Indiana University is an interactive learning experience focusing on the Civil Rights movement.

Users begin by watching a narrated slide show describing the circumstances surrounding Freedom Summer.

The “Timeline Interactive” presents 20 historical events to users. After each event, participants must predict the reaction to the event. Then, drag the event to the Congress or Civil Rights timeline before proceeding. Users can explore additional information including a glossary for background information before making a decision. Guidance is provided for incorrect answers. When users complete the experience, a concluding, narrated slide show discusses the legacy of Freedom Summer.

The “Biography” section features information about 20 key individuals that supported and opposed Civil Rights legislation. In addition to text, images are provided.

The “Gallery” section provides dozens of primary source images for users to explore.

While the app doesn’t provide directions, the menus and cues are enough to help navigate through the learning experience.

Librarians will want to add this app to their social studies collections. Consider creating a display focusing on Freedom Summer that contains the many fiction and nonfiction books related to this event. Add a tablet with this app that youth can explore.

For additional background information, explore the PBS American Experience: Freedom Summer program materials at http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/films/freedomsummer/.

To download this free app, go to

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/freedom-summer-civil-rights/id893679666.