Freedom Walkers: The Story of the Montgomery Bus Boycott

One might think that they've heard the story about the early days of the civil rights movement, and specifically the roles of Martin Luther King, Jr. and Rosa Parks as far as standing up (or sitting down, as the case may be) for what is right. However, Russell Freedman tells this story as a collective experience, from the points of view of the teenagers, men, women, leaders and followers who sacrificed for over a year in this boycott in order to bring about change. Yes, it lasted for over a year. How many of you knew that? I did not. It was the length of time and the full sacrifice that was made that really spoke to me from the pages of this book. A great wrong was being legislated in the city of Montgomery, Alabama, and all across the South, and a dedicated group of African Americans, led by Martin Luther King, Jr., finally decided not to be victims any longer. As I read, the sense of the injustice settled over me heavily. It is hard for me to believe that this world existed only ten years before my birth. Hearing the quotes and seeing the pictures that were carefully selected proves that this story is not just a kind of legend or myth. It's not a pretty story, but this is a fair telling of these events. There are a few sympathetic Whites mentioned, but in general, there were not many who were willing to defend the rights of the minorities. I continue to live in hope that times have changed and will continue to change so that a time will come when color or nationality or creed truly doesn't make a difference. It was lack of knowledge, ignorance, that created the attitude of superiority and hatred of that time, and so I feel that it is my responsibility not to forget, and to learn about this time and those individuals and groups who have brought change, and to teach my daughter as well. Is this book a downer? Not really. I was left with a slight feeling of incredulity at the actions and justification of the White leaders and the lengths that they went to in order to try to keep the Black citizens "in their place." However, it is the conviction and peaceful actions of the African American citizens, day after day, month after month, after living with a lifetime of unfair treatment, that left me with a feeling of hope. One person, or a group of single individuals, can make a difference. They have made a difference throughout history and each of us can continue to do so. Around the time I began reading this book, I came across a quote by Martin Luther King, Jr. in my day planner. I also happened to be grappling with my response to a difficult situation. This quote inspired me to do what I knew was right, even though it would have been much easier to ignore the situation or try to forget it: "Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter."

It has always confused me how someone managed to take that excellent photograph of Rosa Parks being fingerprinted after her arrest for failing to give up her seat on the bus. After all, nobody knew that she, on that particular day, would be on a crowded bus, would be commanded to give up her seat by a bus driver who wanted to make room for an oncoming white passenger, and would be arrested and fingerprinted. But I've certainly seen that particular photograph in plenty of places, both in print and online. Among the whole range of new things I learned about the Montgomery Bus Boycott from reading FREEDOM WALKERS was that the photo to which I am referring was actually taken when, months later, Ms. Parks gave herself up for arrest the second time, in this case for breaking "an obscure 1921 state law prohibiting boycotts 'without just cause or legal excuse.' " (A mass series of arrests on this charge, including Rosa's and Martin's, was one of the tactics employed by the city government that, in cahoots with the bus company, was trying to break the Boycott.) So, for me, another history mystery was solved thanks to the meticulous work of Russell Freedman, a guy whose name has long been synonymous both with top quality research and with an ability to consistently craft children's informational books that read as compelling stories rather than compilations of facts. I often worry about how the current trend of teaching to tests and NCLB mandates results in teachers needing to "cover" so many things that students are growing up oblivious to, or know only superficially of many important issues. As is said, "Where is the learning in coverage?" It was just in the past couple of weeks that I was astounded to encounter an entire classroom full of eighth graders where not a single kid knew anything about Linda Brown and the historic court case to which she was central. How are students to learn to get along with each other and grow up to forge world peace if they don't even know the relatively recent history of intolerance in America? Of course, most kids have at least heard of Rosa Parks -- whether or not they are fans of Andre 3000 and Big Boi -- as there have long been a selection of kid-friendly picture books that focus on this American icon. FREEDOM WALKERS goes far beyond the basic knowledge contained in those picture books to provide an accurate and articulate look at the people, the times, the politics, and the constitutional law issues that surrounded the Montgomery Bus Boycott. We learn, in fact, that Rosa Parks was not the first woman of color to be arrested for failing to give up a bus seat and then considered for a test case. That's another fact most kids don't know. Not even I understood how ugly it got immediately in Montgomery after the Supreme Court ruled that Alabama's bus segregation laws were unconstitutional and the boycott ended victoriously. Talk about terrorism: "The White Citizens Council had predicted violence, and sure en

Sometimes I wonder about the process that your average author of non-fiction titles for children goes through. What, for example, makes an author, such as well-respected and brilliant Russell Freedman, decide to write about the Montgomery Bus Boycott? The man could really write about anything he wanted. He could do a book about The Black Panthers (since not a single non-fiction children's title exists on the subject) or the life of Boss Tweed or how Kalamazoo, Michigan became the Celery City, if he so desired. Instead he concentrates on the honestly inspiring boycott that sparked the Civil Rights Movement. When I heard this I felt at first that this particular subject had been "done". There are oodles of books on the topic. Why would Freedman feel he needed to add his two cents as well? Then I thought it through. Sure, there are lots of books on the boycott, but who do they praise? Nine times out of ten the real focus of the story is Rosa Parks. Once in a while it'll mention the other Civil Rights leaders here and there. The true heroes of the movement who've never really had their due, however, were the average joes. The black maids, elderly, children, and working folk who gave up their comfort, jobs, and who knows what all to support a cause that had never been won before. With "Freedom Walk", Freeman is giving credit where credit is due, to both the leaders and the people who made it happen. It's a story of heroism on a local level. An understandable tale that doesn't lose any of its power over time. This is the story of the Montgomery Bus Boycott as it occurred from start to finish. But rather than concentrate on a single person or persons, Freeman gives credit and voice to some people you may not have heard from before. There was Jo Ann Robinson who lent her support. And there was Claudette Colvin, a young woman who refused to give up her seat on a bus before Rosa Parks did. And finally there were the people who participated in the boycott and their single-minded heroism. Freeman recounts all of this with an even hand and a great deal of intelligent editing. Part of what I loved so much about this book was the sheer number of photographs and background information I found I'd never encountered elsewhere. I don't know where Freedman was able to find so many remarkable pictures (the Acknowledgements may offer some clues) but they are, quite frankly, part of the book's real lure. There's an image of a Coca-Cola machine where the "only" part of the words, "White Customers Only!" is written in the same font as the Coke logo above. Did Coke itself write these words on their machines? There were also mug shots of Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King Jr. that I've never seen in a book before. The title also debunked "facts" that I'd heard and believed incorrectly in the past. When I read Rosa Parks's autobiography, "I Am Rosa Parks", she mentions in the story that she was not the first black woman to refuse to give up her seat on a Montgomery bus. O