Some days it feels as though for every step forward, we are pushed two steps back. We look at the past and marvel at the strides taken. Then, a new incident will make the headlines and we ask ourselves if we have made any progress at all. Perhaps we need to focus on and raise up those steps forward with larger and louder voices. If we do this, the negative, the steps back, are diminished.
The first woman to serve in the United States Congress, Jeanette Pickering Rankin, was elected in 1916, four years prior to women being granted the right to vote. Her words of
"But I won't be the last."
ring with truth throughout our history. Shirley Chisholm Dared: The Story Of The First Black Woman In Congress (Anne Schwartz Books, an imprint of Random House Children's Books, June 1, 2021) written by Alicia D. Williams with artwork by April Harrison speaks to this truth and her personal truth.
Meet three-year-old Shirley St. Hill, a busy little girl who asks way too many questions.
Shortly thereafter, Shirley, her two little sisters and her mother head to Barbados to spend time with her grandmother. Her mother leaves to return to Brooklyn. Although missing her mother and father, Shirley settles into her surroundings. At four years old, she attends school, bravely sitting in the front row.
Back in Brooklyn her parents miss Shirley and her sisters. Six years later, they return to the United States. Sharper than her classmates, Shirley moves quickly from a third-grade classroom to an eighth-grade classroom once tutoring of American history is completed.
Fueled by her father's support and privy to listening as he and his friends discuss politics, Shirley gains in her knowledge. Despite her mother's warnings as she begins high school, Shirley rebels following her instincts in the music she favors and her companionship with boys.
After completion of studies at Brooklyn College, Shirley, ever determined, finally gets a job as a teacher's aide. At the close of the day as a teacher's aide, she continues to work on another degree and pursues her deep interest in politics and what is being done for people in her community. She believes change is accomplished through questioning, education, and politics. She inserts herself into those clubs most promising to the changes she hopes to make.
Despite a deck stacked against her, in 1964 Shirley Chisholm wins a seat in the New York Assembly. The more people complain about Shirley's determination in making lives better for others, the harder she works. Four years later, Shirley Chisholm becomes the first African American woman to serve in the United States Congress!
Author Alicia D. Williams selected those incidents in the life of Shirley St. Hill Chisholm which clearly shaped her character and in turn shaped the character of life for her constituents. She uses these, piece by piece like an architect or engineer, page turn by page turn, to build the formidable person we see in this narrative. It is poetic the way sentences describe a portion of this woman's life followed by the words:
That girl is ____,
That young lady is____,
That woman is____, or
That Shirley is____!
You find yourself inwardly cheering for this girl, young lady, woman and Congresswoman each and every time you read the words. Here is a passage.
She attends political meetings, too.
When she has a question, Shirley bravely
thrusts her hand in the air. She asks:
Where's the money to make schools
better in her Bedford-Stuyvesant
community?
Why isn't trash picked up regularly?
Why can't Bed-Stuy have as much
police protection as other districts?
That woman is too persistent!
In looking at Shirley St. Hill Chisholm on the front, right, and back, left, of the matching and open dust jacket and book case, one of the first things you notice regardless of her age is the set expression on her face. This is a human filled with confidence and determination. The portrait of her on the front is stunning in each and every detail. It's as if we can hear the words from one of her speeches resonating from that image.
On the back, Shirley sits in the classroom on the island of Barbados at four years old. She is much smaller than her other classmates but sits calmly with her legs crossed and hands resting on the table. Her eyes are closed. She looks the picture of peace, but we readers already know she is poised for action.
A marbled turquoise covers the opening and closing endpapers. We see hints of this color reflected in Shirley's hair and clothing on the jacket and case. On the title page is a political button in red, white, and blue with the word Shirley on it.
These pictures by April Harrison
rendered in acrylic and mixed media collage
spanning two pages, full pages, within circles on a single page, or in two-page horizontal panels are as vibrant as the woman and her world portrayed. The variety of paper and patterns fashion a sense of time, place, and the people. Our focus is drawn to the people depicted in the images because they were Shirley's focus.
One of my many favorite illustrations is a double-page picture. On the right side stands Shirley, holding a paper and pencil close to her chest. She has a look of peace and persistence on her face. Off to the left three people, people from her community, question her running for office citing tasks traditionally done by women. All these people are shown from the waist up and close to the reader. In the background are buildings found in the area where they live. Shirley is remembering the words of her father---
Make something of yourself.
It is one thing to admire someone's achievements from afar based upon news commentary, but it quite another to understand what shaped this person. Shirley Chisholm Dared: The Story Of The First Black Woman In Congress by Alicia D. Williams with art by April Harrison does this for readers. I highly recommend this title for your personal and professional bookshelves.
To discover more about Alicia D. Williams and April Harrison and their other work, please follow the link attached to their names to access their websites. Alicia D. Williams has accounts on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. April Harrison has accounts on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. At Penguin Random House, you can view interior images.
At the Library of Congress, I was able to watch a video of Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm giving a speech announcing her intention to run for President of the United States. You are not allowed to embed the video but the URL is here. The speech is powerful.
Born sixteen years later, another woman rose through the political ranks in service of her country, her voters and those unable to vote yet. Madam Speaker: Nancy Pelosi Calls The House To Order (Little Bee Books, September 7, 2021) written by Carole Boston Weatherford with illustrations by Chris Hsu recounts the life of a woman raised in a home where making a difference for the betterment of others was done through political office. She was taught and believed like those other remarkable Congresswomen before her to take a stand for the common good and remain firm. She still does.
Nancy D'Alesandro had a hand in politics from an early age,
stuffing envelopes, handing out leaflets,
and waving from a convertible as her father spoke
through a bullhorn during his political campaigns.
When he was sworn in as mayor, she held the Bible.
Her family was (are) devout Catholics, loyal to their country, and Democrats. Nancy and her five brothers were taught to always lend a hand to those in need. She attended an all-girls Catholic prep college school as a teenager.
As a political science student in college, can you imagine her joy in meeting first Senator and then President John F. Kennedy? During her university studies she met Paul Pelosi and they were married a year after she graduated from Trinity College in Washington, D. C. They were parents five times in six years. Nancy has some interesting commentary on parenting and politics.
Nancy returned to politics first as a mayoral appointee in San Francisco. She became the head of the California Democratic Party. When the widow of a congressman became ill and unable to continue her tenure, she urged Nancy to run for the seat. And she won! (She is still a representative from the state of California today.)
During her time in Congress, Nancy Pelosi has championed for gay rights, changes in health care and in 2018 she set a record for speaking in defense of "Dreamers" for over eight hours. She has held the position of House Minority Leader twice and Speaker of the House twice. She was the first woman to hold both of those positions.
When Carole Boston Weatherford writes, you savor her words. In this narrative, she finds those facts which define the actions taken by Nancy Pelosi during her lifetime. As mentioned previously, she includes Nancy's work with her father during his campaigns and after his election. She follows this with noting his presence during her swearing-in ceremony as a new congresswoman from San Francisco. Each event supplied by Carole Boston Weatherford is supported by an accompanying quotation from Nancy Pelosi. This further grounds Carole Boston Weatherford's stated words and fuels a fire you can feel growing. Here is a passage.
With her hands reaching across the political aisle,
Speaker Pelosi rallied her own party to serve all Americans,
and led the uphill charge to reform health care.
Naysayers doubted that she would succeed.
But Pelosi knew politics like the back of her hand.
"If the gate is locked, we push open the gate.
If we don't push open the gate, we'll pole vault over it.
If that doesn't work, we'll parachute in.
But we're not letting anything stand in the way . . ."
Artist Chris Hsu chooses to place Nancy Pelosi in her seat as she resides over the House of Representatives as the Speaker of the House on the front of the matching dust jacket and book case. This setting makes a powerful and appropriate place and frame for the title text. He deftly shows her demeanor as calm and confident, owing to her years of experience.
To the left of the spine, on the back, an interior image is used with her quotation above noted. She is walking into the House of Representatives hand-in-hand with her granddaughter to be sworn in for her term as Madam Speaker. They are standing in the doorway with the path spread before them, congresswomen and congressmen standing and applauding on either side of the aisle. (It should be noted that Nancy Pelosi took this oath with her grandchildren and other children surrounding her.)
The carpet in the House of Representatives is the canvas for the opening and closing endpapers. Between the areas of text on the title page, Chris Hsu has placed Nancy Pelosi, hand over her heart, in front of a waving United States flag. A gavel is shown on the verso and dedication page.
The illustrations in this book span double pages, edge to edge, and single pages, edge to edge. They are in full color. They are lively and indicate a stamina continually shown by this woman. They complement and elevate the informative and inspiring text.
One of my many favorite illustrations is a double-page picture. It shows President John F. Kennedy giving his inaugural address. He and those on the balcony with him are in the foreground in full color. In front of him are a mass of people, women and men of all ages. They are drawn in muted tones of gray. Nancy Pelosi was there on this day, already involved in politics, more than sixty years ago.
At eighty-one years old, this woman still presides over the House of Representatives with poise and purpose. We know why after reading Madam Speaker: Nancy Pelosi Calls The House To Order written by Carole Boston Weatherford with illustrations by Chris Hsu. At the close of the book is a biographical timeline and a bibliography. You will want to have a copy of this title in your personal and professional collections to promote discussions and encourage others who seek a life in service through politics.
In accessing the websites of Carole Boston Weatherford and Chris Hsu by following the link attached to their names, you can learn more about them and their other work. Carole Boston Weatherford has accounts on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube. Chris Hsu has accounts on Facebook and Instagram. At the publisher's website and at Simon & Schuster, you can view interior images.
