Teaching for change How Septima Clark led the civil rights movement to voting justice

In this illuminating picture book biography about a figure who "could always find a way," Clark-Rhines and Clark-Robinson frame the life of civil rights activist and teacher Septima Clark (1898--1987) as one driven by the subject's passion for education and belief in equality. Clark was raised in Charleston by her formerly enslaved father and freeborn Haitian mother, who believed that education was the key to granting their daughter more in life. When school proved "not much" ("Black students had to sit... on the bleachers, doing nothing") her mother took on housework for a former teacher in exchange for tutoring. At 18, Clark became a teacher herself, using Sears catalogs to teach reading when books for her students proved scarce. In the 1950s, after literacy tests were imposed to disenfranchise Black people, Clark used her experience to establish "citizenship schools" that taught "folks to own their rights." And following a request from Martin Luther King Jr., "she taught thousands of teachers, and together, they taught hundreds of thousands of adult students." Emotionally driven text introduces the figure's favorite childhood hymn, "Ain't Gonna Let Nobody Turn Me 'Round," referencing its message of perseverance at significant moments, while Albano-Payton's thickly stroked oil illustrations supply expressive portraits on every spread. Background characters are portrayed with various skin tones. Authors' notes and a timeline conclude. Ages 4--8. (Jan.)

An eloquent tribute to the character and achievements of a decidedly undersung mover and shaker of the Civil Rights Movement. "Born poor. Born Black. Born a girl." Septima Clark faced plenty of obstacles, but having learned peace from her daddy and strength from her mama, "Septima couldalways find a way." Growing up to become a teacher, she established a network of "citizenship schools" that by 1969 had helped over 700,000 Black students pass discriminatory voter registration tests and learn how to be community leaders and activists. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. called her the Mother of the Movement and asked her to accompany him to Oslo to receive his Nobel Peace Prize. She went on battling discrimination of every sort, the authors conclude, even after the male leaders of the movement forced her to retire in 1970. "Mama Seppie" remains an icon, "the embodiment of Black Girl (Woman) Magic." Lyrics from the freedom song "Ain't Gonna Let Nobody Turn Me 'Round" appear throughout. In stately oil paintings, Albano-Payton depicts Clark from grave child to formidable, gray-haired fighter--in schoolrooms, behind prison bars, on the march, and generally surrounded by equally serious, brown-skinned pupils and supporters of all ages. The work ends with notes from both co-authors; Clark-Rhines, Septima Clark's granddaughter, pays tribute to her grandmother's "perseverance, tenacity, strength, and…attitude of service for her people." Tardy, significant recognition. (timeline, select quotes)(Picture-book biography. 7-9) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.