Nonfiction Notable: A SONG FOR THE UNSUNG

I continue to read picture books extensively while enjoying the many beginning readers  and early chapter books I've been exploring for CYBILS AWARD consideration.  Some picture books are guaranteed to snag my attention due to the subject matter, the reliably high quality of the author and/or illustrator, and my own connections to prior readings and/or postings. This nonfiction biographic account of BAYARD RUSTIN is such a book on all strands of that appeal. 

Henry Holt & Company, 2023

A SONG FOR THE UNSUNG: BAYARD RUSTIN, the Man behind the 1963 March on Washington did not disappoint. This is written by multi-award-winning Carole Boston Weatherford and LGBTQIA advocate Rob Sanders, with impressively informative illustrations by Byron McCray. In an earlier post featuring another picture book focused on the 1963 March on Washington, here, I also featured a book aimed at older readers, one that profiled the largely unrecognized CIVIL RIGHTS leaded, Bayard Rustin. (That book is one of the sources cited in the bibliography for A SONG FOR THE UNSUNG.)

The title alone is brilliant, because it signals that Rustin was a talented and devoted singer for whom music played a central role throughout his life. The same can be said about the role of music in the Civil Rights Movement. Threaded throughout each double spread are scrolled lyrics from many different hymns/songs that reflect specific moments throughout his life and his role in the shaping of that movement. This includes the fact that Rustin's roots run deep in Quaker peace activism, including refusing to bear arms during WWII and his consequent imprisonment. 

The authors open on the eventful August day in 1963 with Rustin's perspective of the Washington mall, empty other than himself and a few reporters. His confident assertion that this unprecedented event would happen, would succeed, contrasts with the absence of evidence at that early morning moment. And yet Rustin, the organizer/coordinator behind the scenes, stood tall and sure. he had orchestrated every detail, from placement of portable potties to bus parking  to box lunches and the program itself. 

Each page turn that offers incredible details about his development of the strength and skill and talent that underpinned such confidence. As a relative "elder" in comparison to young Martin Luther King, Jr., his experiences with adherence to non-violent strategies for social change were rooted in studies with Gandhi and led to his later instruction and guidance for MLK,Jr. and the entire movement. 

An essential (and never denied or hidden) aspect of his identity is that he was a gay man. Thankfully, and despite immeasurable forces still attempting to discriminate against non-straight individuals and organizations, we have arrived at a time of greater openness and awareness that people are people and their sexual lives are not a matter of public concern. This was far from the case at the time of Rustin's life, making his willingness to be "out of the closet" another bold and honest example of his personal integrity. This fact, though, accounts for why so few folks know his name in comparison to others from those Civil Rights Movement years in the sixties. It was deemed necessary and advantageous to access Rustin's organization skills and network contacts to make a gathering of a quarter million people possible, yet leaders within the movement insisted that his public role should be minimal, fearing that his gay identity could undermine and detract from the greater goals. 

Very likely they were correct. Even so, it meant that Rustin's long history, credentials, and support of equal rights and social justice remained "appreciated" by insiders but "unsung" in the public accounts of this history-changing day and the entire movement surrounding it. There is no justice in that, at any level. Now, more than sixty years later, young people can access Rustin's life story through works for older readers but also through this gorgeous, dynamic, and lyrical account of a man who merits everyone's attention and admiration. 

I had some limited awareness of this remarkable figure in American history as a young person who viewed the march and speeches live on television, awed by the safe, civil, overwhelmingly effective gathering at our nation's capital at a time when few were willing to speak aloud the need for legal civil rights for all in a public venue. (My reflection on why CIVIL RIGHTS and the movement mean so much to me can be read an early post on that topic, HERE. Equality for all SHOULD connect with everyone, even a straight, white, privileged woman such as myself. And yet my connection to the subject matter runs deep, and I wish more folks would examine their own lives to see that success on behalf of the least protected among us elevates the quality of life for us all.)

I fear, though, that this very title will be among the extensive and absurd lists of books for kids that face censorship due to both aspects of his Rustin's life story: being Black and being gay. Please learn more about that misguided group that is comparatively small in numbers but powerful in political clout. Make it a point to read any books on the list for yourselves and then speak up for open access and rights to read! (For more on that topic, THIS LINK is from the American Library Association.)

A Place to Land: MLK, Jr.'s DREAM Challenges Us

Happy Birthday Celebration Day, Martin Luther King, Jr. There will never be "too many" books about this remarkable man whose national and global leadership and sacrifice should never be forgotten. 

Neal Porter Books, 2019

A PLACE TO LAND: Martin Luther King, Jr. and The Speech That Inspired a Nation is
among the remarkable nominated for Cybils nonfiction awards for 2019. There were several about this iconic man. This one stands out, a product of impressive collaboration by author Barry Wittenstein, illustrator Jerry Pinkney, and publisher Neal Porter Books.
Watch for this title to garner multiple awards and honors in the coming weeks, particularly at ALA Midwinter Conference in Philadelphia January 24-26.

I write my own notes about the outstanding books I choose to share here, but in this case I'll quote directly what Indiebound.org says, which is exactly what I want you to know:

"Much has been written about Martin Luther King, Jr. and the 1963 March on Washington. But there's little on his legendary speech and how he came to write it. Find out more in this gripping book with illustrations by Caldecott Medalist Jerry Pinkney.
Martin Luther King, Jr. was once asked if the hardest part of preaching was knowing where to begin. No, he said. The hardest part is knowing where to end. "It's terrible to be circling up there without a place to land."Finding this place to land was what Martin Luther King, Jr. struggled with, alongside advisors and fellow speech writers, in the Willard Hotel the night before the March on Washington, where he gave his historic "I Have a Dream" speech. But those famous words were never intended to be heard on that day, not even written down for that day, not even once." 

When I began this blog eight years ago, one of my earliest posts shared thoughts about why MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR. is such a personal hero of mine. If you have the time and haven't read that early post before, I invite you to do so. In it I include a variety of titles that can (and should, IMO) be read and shared across many ages. As I continue in my ninth year of considering and celebrating wonderful picture books, the list of recommended titles related to MLK,Jr. has grown. In the next few days I'll share some very recent titles and add them to my page of suggested books to consider. 
For now, on this celebration day, let's retain the focus on this remarkable story. It is a story of dedication, mindfulness, intention, collaboration, and grace. 

After reading it, I also encourage you to seek out and read a book about a very significant behind-the-scenes contributor to this iconic event, the speech, and many other aspects of the Civil Rights era (and beyond). I wrote about TROUBLEMAKER FOR JUSTICE: BAYARD RUSTIN in a post on my website blog, here. Co-authors Jacqueline Houtman, Walter Naegle, and Michael G. Long have produced an authoritative story of the many ways in which Bayard Rustin should be celebrated today, too, and every day, for the ways in which determination, hard work, and collaboration can change the world.

Whether our interest is in the Women's March, the Fridays For Future, the MARCH FOR OUR LIVES, or BLACK LIVES MATTER, let's not fall into the trap of imagining ourselves as activists because we scroll through various sources, verify validity of content, and then speak up for others (and TRUTH) among our various contacts. 

Those steps matter. 
Reading these books and sharing them matters. 
But taking actual STEPS matters more.
That might involve SHOWING UP at a meeting, march, or protest for which others have done the hard work to organize and promote it. 
Or volunteering to help on the next project. 
Or making phone calls. 
Or lending design skills. 
Or writing skills. 
Or registering voters.
Or offering rides to those who need them. 
Or... getting inspired and finding ways to offer yourself to the betterment of our world. 
Others who have done so can inspire you.

Start today.