TOGETHER WE MARCH: A Look Back At the Power of Peaceful Protest

 For short periods of time, young people have grown up without "marches" being in the news. This picture book is a valuable reminder that marching for a cause has always been a part of our American and global history and heritage. As the introduction says, when people combine the efforts of their feet, voices, signs, and mutual support, they become a force to be reckoned with. In the most basic sense, this is evident in sporting events, in which the cause is victory for your favored team.

On a more substantial note, though, are the many marches that seek/sought to serve the public good. Even when the specifics focus on a target need or identity group or rights, protesting and achieving progress toward equality and justice for those causes improves the broader society in which we all live.

Atheneum Books For Young Readers, 2021

TOGETHER WE MARCH: 25 Protest Movements That Marched Into History, is written by Leah Henderson and illustrated by Tyler Feder. It is yet another praiseworthy nominee  for a CYBILS AWARDS for nonfiction. I suspect that one of the challenges of compiling these twenty-five accounts involved deciding among hundreds that occurred (and MATTERED) throughout history. The author introduction ends with a note that the final cut includes "overlooked stories, revered moments, and courageous people" whose work to change the world provides lessons for all of us across time. Some will be familiar, even to young readers, and others will be   new introductions.

I respect that criteria and believe it has benefited the book and the young readers. Once those choices were made, a chronological approach was used, and that meant the first movement of this collection is the   leadership of MOTHER JONES, marching in defense of childhood and in protest of child labor.

That is a sure fire way to hook kids into reading and becoming inspired by these brief profiles. This march through time (pardon that pun) allows for some causes to recur, particularly related to race, peace, and rights. Each is a two page spread with colorful spot illustrations that anchor events in the general awareness of historic eras through clothing and other cultural details, with effective small spots to support comprehension (maps, flags, icons, etc.). The causes and their leaders are diverse, including various ethnicities, skin colors, global identities, abilities/disabilities, lgbtqia/gender identities. 

Many contemporary readers may be surprised to see concerns in current events reflected across continents and a century of marching: peace, voting, the environment/climate, immigration, labor, social justice, and more. The final entry accounts marches for social justice following the George Floyd murder, with a satisfying concluding note from the author. This is followed by a colorfully illustrated timeline, anchoring each of the twenty-five movements across the last century-plus. It's a helpful way to note patterns and similarities in causes, as well as diversity among those who choose to organize and march. The next page turn provides a selected bibliography that is also formatted with more kid-appeal than most- identifying each movement and citing the source of quotations. 

This is a powerful and very accessible approach to bringing background and meaning to the current political and other public protests, marked with visible indicators of the overall theme, reinforced through illustrated protest sign slogans. 

First and foremost is "TOGETHER WE MARCH", underscoring the power in unity and community. Also, and importantly, this theme rings true throughout each profile and as a summation of the book:

"NONE OF US IS FREE UNTIL ALL OF US ARE FREE"