Students on Strike: Jim Crow, Civil Rights, Brown, and Me (Hardcover)

by John A. Stokes (Author), Herman Viola (Author), Lois Wolfe (Contributor)

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist
Several years prior to the Supreme Court’s desegregation order, students at an all-black high school in Prince Edward County, Virginia, were driven to strike against the terrible conditions there. Their complaints were eventually folded into the class-action-suit Brown v. Board of Education, and this fascinating account, co-written by Stokes, who was one of the strike’s leaders, explains how, with NAACP guidance, the strikers’ efforts to “correct a molehill” shifted to a larger battle. Although the book initially provides powerful, personal details about injustices Stokes experienced in the Jim Crow South, autobiographical elements are eventually subsumed by the collective action, described in positive tones somewhat at odds with the closing admission of rifts in the black community over the strike’s aftermath (schools were closed for more than five years). One is left wondering if there’s more to the story than is celebrated here, but little can undermine the inspirational aspects of the strike, which will motivate and guide young activists today. A section of small black-and-white photographs, a bibliography, and a resource list are included. Grades 5-8. --Jennifer Mattson

Product Description
John Stokes has waited more than 50 years to give his eyewitness account of "The Manhattan Project." This was the name he and a group of fellow students gave their strike at R.R. Moton High School that helped to end separate schooling for blacks and whites, not only in his home state of Virginia, but throughout America. Told in Stokes’ own words, the story vividly conveys how his passion for learning helped set in motion one of the most powerful movements in American history, resulting in the desegregation of schools—and life—in the United States.

As a child tending crops on the family farm, John Stokes never dreamed that one day he would be at the center of the Civil Rights Movement. Yet, on April 23, 1951, he and his fellow students walked out of the school and into the history books. Their school was built to accommodate 180 students, yet over 400 black students attended classes in leaky buildings with tar paper walls. A potbelly stove served as the only source of heat, and the school lacked running water, indoor plumbing, and a cafeteria. Yet to Stokes and his fellow students, it was their path to a better life.

Students on Strike is an evocative first-person narrative from a period of radical change in American history. Stokes recounts the planning of the student walkout, the secret meetings, the plot to send the principal on a wild goose chase after "truant" students, and the strategy to boycott classes until conditions improved. The author recalls the challenges in persuading teachers and parents to support the strike, and the intimidation that came in the form of threats and a cross-burning on school grounds. Archival illustrations from Stokes’ scrapbook add to the emotional impact of his story. The narrative follows the course of the lawsuits filed by the NAACP, which would became part of the historic Brown v Board of Education ruling of the U.S. Supreme Court and the subsequent end to segregation in America.

Young readers will relish this inspirational account of the heroic struggles of John Stokes and his fellow students; they will also learn a timeless lesson that people with little influence—but with great determination—can make a difference.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9-12
  
• Hardcover: 128 pages
• Publisher: National Geographic Children's Books (December 26, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1426301537
• ISBN-13: 978-1426301537
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.4 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #263,540 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Powerful book for teens, January 29, 2009

By	T. Huffman - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This book really brings the era of segregation to life for students in middle or high school. It also demonstrates the Brown v. Board was not a simple ruling in 1954, but the beginning of a decades-long struggle for racial equality in the schools. One of the interesting aspects of the story in Prince Edwards County was that the change was led by the students themselves. I would recommend it for educators teaching the civil rights era, because it does teach more about the experience than a textbook ever could.

I would suggest this book along with Andrew Heidelberg's account of when Norfolk, Virginia's schools closed for an entire semester in 1958-1959. When Andrew was one of the 17 African-American students who were ordered by a judge to be let into white schools, Governor Almond ordered that those schools be closed based on the state constitution, which prohibited whites and blacks from attending the same school. That year 10,000 children were barred from attending school simply because politicians feared 17 black children going to white schools. The Norfolk 17 and the R.R. Moton protests are important events in the desegregation of American schools, and the stories of these students are great educational materials.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Perfect for high school, November 29, 2008

By	Ms. Washington (Metro Boston, MA United States) - See all my reviews

I assigned this book for summer reading. I can write all sorts of lessons and do all sorts of activities to teach the Jim Crow Era, but this book did more to help my students understand the overt racism in America after the Civil War. They have grown up in a time of multiculturalism and diversity. The idea that students could be denied a proper education because of the color of their skin is a foreign idea. Because this story is told from the perspective of someone their age, they approached this book differently. They appreciated that it was not the usual history book, but a true story that grabbed their attention; they forgot they were learning about American History. I highly recommend this book for all high school students. Your students will thank you.

5.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding Record of Little-Known Injustice, June 26, 2008

By	Portianay "portianay" (KY, USA) - See all my reviews

I am ashamed to say that I was unaware of what went on in Prince Edward County, VA, in the Jim Crow South. This is a haunting recounting of a dreadful time for these young people, and it is astonishing that it went on in America! I fully understood Mr. Stoke's reasons for waiting fifty years to write this, and I hope those who may have harbored bitterness about the stand he and other brave young people took will understand it, also. I highly recommend this book!