We Overcome Shall Overcome by Bryan Collier
| She’s dressed in yellow, proudly displaying a peace symbol on a fresh green leaf. Collier’s extraordinary picture book pays homage to the past, illuminates the present, and inspires hope for the future. Text is based on the gospel song which became a Civil Rights anthem. We Shall Overcome opens with a young girl rising to begin a new day. Readers follow her as she leaves her home, walking through the community before boarding a bus bound for school. She travels against a backdrop of historic figures and sites shown in shades of black and gray. The nameless faces of countless individuals can be seen within each step she takes. The message is clear: people and events from the past determine where she will go, what she can do, who she will become. One of the most touching scenes takes place on the bus. Rosa Parks sits alone on the bus. The page turn features a a closeup of several hands clasped together. People united, no longer separated or excluded. |  |
Back matter offers rich resources including the history of the song "We Shall Overcome," background information on several seminal moments in the Civil Rights Movement: 16th Street Baptist Church, Rosa Parks on the bus in 1955, the Little Rock Central High School, and the Black Lives Matter Mural. A brief description of the artist's process eloquently expresses the message of justice, equality and peace. Compelling message. Powerful book.
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Uncorrected copy provided by publisher.
Pub date: December 28, 2021 Publisher: Orchard Books ISBN: 978-1338540376
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