Showing titles in Social Activists

Working through times of setbacks and Grand Slam glory, Serena Williams has become a role model for a new generation of tennis players, and it's all captured in this biography. From an early age, Serena trained to be a force on the tennis court. Alongside her talented sister Venus, she rose up through the ranks until she was competing in - and dominating - the world's most elite tournaments. Follow along as she amazes everyone with her powerful, strategic playing style and also speaks out against racism and sexism in the tennis world.

In an era of discrimination, Jack Roosevelt "Jackie" Robinson broke Major League Baseball's race barrier. Before Robinson took his place at first base, the majors discriminated against African-American athletes, denying them a chance to compete. Despite facing harassment from fans and other players, Robinson stayed focused on the game, becoming the MLB Rookie of the Year in 1947 and later a baseball legend. This biography follows Robinson's time on semi-pro teams, his days in the US military, and his history-making experience with the Brooklyn Dodgers.

This graphic biography tells listeners the moments that have defined Colin Kaepernick’s life as a quarterback and an activist. His talent and determination made him a college football success and brought him to the National Football League. As a quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers, he led his team to multiple playoffs and even competed in the Super Bowl. When outrage over violence against African Americans became a national movement, Kaepernick joined the protests. His decision cost him his career in football, but he gained a voice heard worldwide.

Most people know about President FDR, but do you know the woman who created his groundbreaking New Deal? As a young girl, Frances Perkins was very shy and quiet. But her grandmother encouraged Frances to always challenge herself. When somebody opens a door to you, go forward. And so she did. In this empowering, inspirational biography, discover how the first woman to serve in a presidential cabinet led the charge to create the safety net that protects American workers and their families to this day.

Every activist started out as a kid‚ and in some cases, they were kids when their activism began! But even the world's greatest champions of civil liberties had relatable interests and problems‚ often in the middle of extraordinary circumstances. Martin Luther King, Jr., loved fashion and argued with his dad about whether or not dancing was a sin. Harvey Milk had a passion for listening to opera music in different languages. Dolores Huerta was once wrongly accused of plagiarizing in school.

Hall-of-famer Elgin Baylor was one of basketball’s all-time-greatest players - an innovative athlete, team player, and quiet force for change. One of the first professional African-American players, he inspired others on and off the court. But when traveling for away games, many hotels and restaurants turned Elgin away because he was Black. One night, Elgin had enough and staged a one-man protest that captured the attention of the press, the public, and the NBA.  

A stirring look at nonviolent activism, from American suffragists to Civil Rights to the Climate Change Movement We Are Power brings to light the incredible individuals who have used nonviolent activism to change the world. The book explores questions such as what is nonviolent resistance and...

Inspire kids to be their best selves and get involved in social change with this stunning anthology about thirty-five amazing women in sports around the world and throughout history. Do you play sports? Maybe you dream about scoring a goal on the soccer field or hitting a home run in baseball...

Bloomsbury presents This Promise of Change by Jo Ann Allen Boyce and Debbie Levy, read by Donna Allen. Recipient of a Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Honor Winner of the 2019 Boston Globe-Horn Book Award for Nonfiction 2020 National Council for the Social Studies Carter G. Woodson Honor...

Do you think science is fun and exciting? Bill Nye does. In fact, he wanted to become an astronaut, but NASA rejected his applications. Instead, Nye has spent his career helping other people understand science and showing them how cool science can be. Nye went to college to become a mechanical engineer, and he got a job working for an aircraft company. But soon, he began focusing more and more on a career in comedy. Eventually, he got his own popular TV show called Bill Nye the Science Guy.

Booklist starred review Black activist Opal Lee had a vision of Juneteenth as a holiday for everyone. This true story celebrates Black joy and inspires children to see their dreams blossom. Growing up in Texas, Opal knew the history of Juneteenth, but she soon discovered that many Americans had...

Martin Rising is a stunning, poetic presentation of the final months of Martin Luther King Jr.’s life - told in a rich embroidery of visions, color, musical cadence, deep emotion, and multiple layers of meaning. Against a backdrop of the sanitation workers’ strike in Memphis, Tennessee, the book builds to its rousing crescendo as King delivers his “I’ve Been to the Mountaintop” speech - where his life’s commitment to peaceful activism and his dream of equality ascend to their highest peak.

This is the story of one brave family: Mildred Loving, Richard Perry Loving, and their three children. It is the story of how Mildred and Richard fell in love, and got married in Washington, D.C. But when they moved back to their hometown in Virginia, they were arrested (in dramatic fashion) for violating that state's laws against interracial marriage. The Lovings refused to allow their children to get the message that their parents' love was wrong and so they fought the unfair law, taking their case all the way to the Supreme Court-and won!

This heartfelt picture book biography, adapted for audio, tells the story of MaVynee Betsch, an African American opera singer turned environmentalist and the legacy she preserved. MaVynee loved going to the beach. But in the days of Jim Crow, she couldn't just go to any beach--most of the...

From NYT bestselling author Tracey Baptiste comes a singular picture book, adapted for audio, that is both a biography about Claudette Colvin, the teen whose activism launched the Montgomery bus boycott, and a celebration of collective action. When fifteen-year-old Claudette Colvin boarded a...

From the #1 New York Times bestselling series comes the latest title in the Who HQ Now format for trending topics. It tells the history of a political and social movement that advocates for non-violent civil disobedience and protests against incidents of police brutality--and all racially...

The American boxing champ and vocal civil rights activist Muhammad Ali is the 27th hero in the New York Times bestselling picture book biography series for ages 5 to 8, adapted for audio. Muhammad Ali was the leading heavyweight boxer of the 20th century and a charismatic, beloved public figure...

Inspired by the #1 New York Times bestseller She Persisted by Chelsea Clinton and Alexandra Boiger comes a chapter book series about women who stood up, spoke up and rose up against the odds--including Helen Keller! In this chapter book biography by acclaimed author Courtney Sheinmel, readers...

Adapted for young readers! Join two-time Women's World Cup champion, Olympic gold medalist, and trailblazing activist Megan Rapinoe in the fight for equality and justice in this middle grade adaptation of her New York Times bestselling memoir, One Life. You know Megan Rapinoe as an...

Inspired by the recent wave of activism led by young people fighting for racial justice, civil rights icon Ruby Bridges--who, at the age of six, was the first black child to integrate an all-white elementary school in New Orleans--shares her story and offers a powerful call to action with this...