"I don’t usually read children’s books, but this one intrigued me as soon as I heard about it. It was a story I didn’t know—how Sarah Roberts, an African American girl, and her family sued the City of Boston in 1847 to end segregated schools, taking the first step in a long process that ended—finally—in school segregation being outlawed in 1954 by the U.S. Supreme Court. It’s an inspiring story, wonderfully told by Goodman, with gorgeous illustrations by the award-winning illustrator E.B. Lewis. It should become an instant classic."
Publisher Bloomsbury USA Childrens
Publication Date 2016-01-05
Section Children's Picture Books / All Staff Suggestions / Suggestions for Kids / Fiction Suggestions / Carole H.
Format Hardcover
ISBN 9780802737397
In 1847, a young African American girl named Sarah Roberts was attending a school in Boston. Then one day she was told she could never come back. She didn't belong. The Otis School was for white children only.
Sarah deserved an equal education, and the Roberts family fought for change. They made history. Roberts v. City of Boston was the first case challenging our legal system to outlaw segregated schools. It was the first time an African American lawyer argued in a supreme court.
These first steps set in motion changes that ultimately led to equality under the law in the United States. Sarah's cause was won when people—black and white—stood together and said, No more. Now, right now, it is time for change!
With gorgeous art from award-winning illustrator E. B. Lewis, The First Step is an inspiring look at the first lawsuit to demand desegregation—long before the American Civil Rights movement, even before the Civil War.
