KIDS ON THE MARCH

Narrative Nonfiction for Young Adult Readers - from the March on Washington to March for Our Lives to Black Lives Matter, the powerful stories of kid-led protest in America.

The most famous protest march in U.S. history occurred on August 28, 1963, when about 250,000 people gathered together for the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, where Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered his famous "I Have a Dream" speech. But did you know that several months before, thousands of young black people marched and rallied against racial segregation in Birmingham, Alabama? Their bravery and courage caught the attention of President John F. Kennedy, who went on national television afterwards to denounce racial segregation. In fact, children and young people have led or participated in numerous important marches throughout American history. KIDS ON THE MARCH chronicles six of these protests, from the March of the Mill Children in 1903 all the way to Greta Thunberg's recent Global Climate March. While readers may be shocked to discover the wretched treatment of some of these young marchers at the hands of adults and authority figures, ultimately KIDS ON THE MARCH shows how non-violent protests have led to important changes in our laws and culture, and how effective marching can be. The author/editor of numerous adult titles on the civil rights movement, Michael G. Long's recent YA bio of civil rights leader Bayard Rustin, Troublemaker for Justice, has already received four starred reviews from Kirkus, Booklist, SLJ and PW. Featuring sidebars, historic photos, and an afterward that shows readers how they, too, can participate in protest, KIDS ON THE MARCH will serve as both an important historical survey and a practical guide for making change. Michael G. Long has a Ph.D. from Emory University and is the author or editor of numerous books on nonviolent protest, civil rights, politics, and religion. Long's first book on Jackie Robinson - First Class Citizenship - was selected as a best book of the year by Publishers Weekly, and received critical acclaim in The New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, Book Forum, Ebony/Jet, and other major media outlets. Long served as an expert historian for Ken Burns's documentary on Jackie Robinson. Long has written for the Los Angeles Times, the Chicago Tribune, USA Today, the Afro, the Huffington Post, the Chicago Sun-Times, the New York Daily News, and the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, among others.