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This historical fiction picture book for children ages 9-12 presents the story of nine-year-old Lorraine Jackson, who in 1968 witnessed the Memphis sanitation strike--Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s final stand for justice before his assassination--when her father, a sanitation worker, participated in the protest.In February 1968, two African American sanitation workers were killed by unsafe equipment in Memphis, Tennessee. Outraged at the city's refusal to recognize a labor union that would fight for higher pay and safer working conditions, sanitation workers went on strike. The strike lasted two months, during which Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was called to help with the protests. While his presence was greatly inspiring to the community, this unfortunately would be his last stand for justice. He was assassinated in his Memphis hotel the day after delivering his "I've Been to the Mountaintop" sermon in Mason Temple Church. Inspired by the memories of a teacher who participated in the strike as a child, author Alice Faye Duncan reveals the story of the Memphis sanitation strike from the perspective of a young girl with a riveting combination of poetry and prose.



About the Author

Alice Faye Duncan

Website: www.alicefayeduncan.comEmail: AFDuncan@aol.com Alice Faye Duncan writes books for young readers and adults. HONEY BABY SUGAR CHILD is a mother's love song to her baby. The lyrical text sings and swings just like music. MEMPHIS, MARTIN AND THE MOUNTAINTOP (The 1968 Sanitation Strike) is a lyrical combination of poetry and prose that explores Dr. King's assassination and his last stand for economic justice. The illustrator is Caldecott Honor recipient, Gregory Christie. 12 DAYS OF CHRISTMAS IN TENNESSEE is a child's travel guide across the Volunteer State (GO VOLS!) . Two cousins in ugly holiday sweaters visit important landmarks throughout the state, while traveling in a mini-van called the "Reindeer Express." A SONG FOR GWENDOLYN BROOKS is the first picture book biography to explore the life and times of Chicago poet--Gwendolyn Brooks. In 1950, Miss Brooks was the first African American writer to receive a Pulitzer Prize.Alice's book--JUST LIKE A MAMA made its debut on Mother's Day (2019) . The illustrator is Charnelle Pinkney Barlow. This book was a 2021 NAACP Image Award Nomination for BEST BOOK IN CHILDREN'S LITERATURE.



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