More Than a Dream: The Radical March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom

by Yohuru Williams, Michael G. Long

Overview

A NATIONAL BOOK AWARD LONGLIST SELECTION ● Hailed as “an essential reeducation on one of the most consequential events in US history” by Ibram X. Kendi, this gripping middle-grade account offers a fresh look at the groundbreaking 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom by spotlighting the protest’s radical roots and the underappreciated role of Black women—includes a wealth of contemporary black-and-white photos throughout.

Six decades ago, on August 28, 1963, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his iconic “I Have a Dream” speech during the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom—a moment often revered as the culmination of this Black-led protest. But at its core, the March on Washington was not a beautiful dream of future integration; it was a mass outcry for jobs and freedom NOW—not at some undetermined point in the future. It was a revolutionary march with its own controversies and problems, the themes of which still resonate to this day.

Without diminishing the words of Dr. King, More Than a Dream looks at the march through a wider lens, using Black newspaper reports as a primary resource, recognizing the overlooked work of socialist organizers and Black women protesters, and repositioning this momentous day as radical in its roots, methods, demands, and results. From Yohuru Williams and Michael G. Long, the acclaimed authors of Call Him Jack, comes a classic-in-the-making that will transform our modern understanding of this legendary event in the fight for racial justice and civil rights.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780374391744
Publisher:	Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Publication date:	08/29/2023
Pages:	272
Sales rank:	136,685
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 8.90(h) x 1.00(d)
Lexile:	1090L (what's this?)
Age Range:	10 - 14 Years

About the Author

Yohuru Williams is a professor of history and founding director of the Racial Justice Initiative at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minnesota. A regular contributor to a variety of media programming on CNN and History, he is the author of numerous books, including Teaching US History Beyond the Textbook; Call Him Jack: The Story of Jackie Robinson, Black Freedom Fighter; and More Than a Dream: The Radical March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. He lives in Minnesota.

Michael G. Long is the author or editor of several books on Bayard Rustin, nonviolent protests, and civil rights history, including Call Him Jack: The Story of Jackie Robinson, Black Freedom Fighter and More Than a Dream: The Radical March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. His commentary about civil rights has appeared in many national media outlets such as the Afro, the Los Angeles Times, and ESPN. He lives in Pennsylvania.

Editorial Reviews

A NATIONAL BOOK AWARD LONGLIST SELECTION
A Kirkus Reviews Best Young Adult Book of the Year
A Booklist Editor's Choice List Selection
A Bank Street College of Education Best Children's Book of the Year
A Chicago Public Library Best Informational Book for Older Readers of the Year
A Garden State Teen Book Awards Nonfiction Grades 6-12 Nominee
A Kirkus Reviews Most Anticipated Book of the Fall
A Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection
A Common Sense Media Best Book of the Year
A The Progressive Magazine Favorite Book of the Year

“A frank and perspicuous study of the watershed 1963 event in the Civil Rights Movement . . . Rather than build their thoroughly researched account around Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech, Williams and Long focus on what went on behind the scenes to organize the one-day March on Washington . . . Numerous photos and news clippings add immediacy to events, and though the main story closes with the dispersal of the crowd at the historic day’s end, rich troves of additional facts and questions posed to readers spur further research and reflection. Coherent, compellingly passionate, rich in sometimes-startling and consistently well-founded insights.” —Kirkus Reviews, starred review

“The authors have relied heavily on contemporary newspaper stories, a number of which are reproduced here along with a generous collection of black-and-white photos. Important appended material evidences the authors’ deep research (18 pages of notes) and a collection of discussion questions. This is, in short, an indispensable work that belongs in every library.” —Booklist, starred review

“Williams and Long do more than retread the well-worn paths of this historic moment in the civil rights movement—they blaze an entirely new trail for our collective understanding of the 1963 March on Washington. More Than a Dream reorients the march's origins, reappraises its demands, and rejuvenates its modern day connections for young readers. Consider this an essential reeducation on one of the most consequential events in US history.” —Ibram X. Kendi, #1 New York Times–bestselling author of How to Be an Antiracist

“A detailed account . . . A remarkable blend of primary resources, firsthand accounts, and thought-provoking questions, readers will learn about the many important people of the Civil Rights Movement and the intricacies of executing such an event . . . Highly recommended.” —School Library Journal, starred review

From the Publisher

★ 08/18/2023

Gr 5 Up—A detailed account of the 1963 March on Washington, one of America's most iconic civil rights events. The book begins with the initial inspiration and planning, then continues to Martin Luther King Jr.'s final speech of the day and the closing remarks. With a remarkable blend of primary resources, firsthand accounts, and thought-provoking questions, readers will learn about the many important people of the Civil Rights Movement and the intricacies of executing such an event. Black-and-white photographs, newspaper clippings, pamphlets, advertisements, and quotes from everyday people bring the story to life and provide a vivid glimpse into history. A table of contents, extra steps, things to consider, acknowledgments, notes, image credits, and an index are all included. VERDICT A highly recommended addition to civil rights collections that are looking for a well-written and deeply informative title.—Kate Rao

School Library Journal

★ 2023-06-08
A frank and perspicuous study of the watershed 1963 event in the Civil Rights Movement.

Rather than build their thoroughly researched account around Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech, Williams and Long focus on what went on behind the scenes to organize the one-day March on Washington, thrash out a unified vision of its purpose in the face of conflicting agendas, and bring it off without sparking violence from either marchers or police. (There were, astonishingly, no event-related arrests.) As in their powerful profile of Jackie Robinson (Call Him Jack, 2022), the authors unflinchingly retain the racist language in many of their period quotes to illuminate the violent temper of the times. They also offer eye-opening portrayals of the generally idolized Kennedy brothers and scorching views of the secondary roles Black women were forced to take by the march’s male leaders. They brightly commend the courage and organizing skills of “gay, pacifist, socialist ex-convict” Bayard Rustin and highlight march director A. Philip Randolph’s dreams of working change through collective action as well as the rousing speeches of young firebrand John Lewis and others. Numerous photos and news clippings add immediacy to events, and though the main story closes with the dispersal of the crowd at the historic day’s end, rich troves of additional facts and questions posed to readers spur further research and reflection.

Coherent, compellingly passionate, rich in sometimes-startling and consistently well-founded insights. (source notes, image credits, index) (Nonfiction. 12-15)

Kirkus Reviews