“Here, we talk about children as objects of protection rather than people with rights.”
The United States remains the only eligible country that has failed to ratify the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, which marks its 30th anniversary in November, noted Taft. “The Convention has given children in other countries the ability to make demands on their schools and their governments,” said Taft. “Here, we talk about children as objects of protection rather than people with rights.”
However, youth in the United States are organizing around causes they believe in, including high-profile efforts like the Sept. 20 international climate strike, the campaign for gun control being led by survivors of the Parkland high school shooting, and a campaign to lower the voting age to 16 in San Francisco. These youth leaders are pushing back on the arbitrary quality of age-based criteria for political involvement, said Taft. from UC Santa Cruz Newscenter
I believe that when historians look back in time and view these last four years, it will be clear that this tumultuous time was a turning point in U.S. history. One standout is that activism was and is on the rise. And youth activism in particular!
“Around the world, we are seeing children and youth engage as social, political, and economic actors, demonstrating their capacity to help make social change,” said Taft, an associate professor of Latin American and Latino Studies at UC Santa Cruz. “Adults make a lot of assumptions about children and what they’re capable of, and those assumptions are often quite false.” from UC Santa Cruz Newscenter
Today, I’m part of a blog tour for No Voice Too Small: 14 Young Americans Making History. In this picture book anthology, readers get to meet teen activists such as Mari Copeny fighting for clean water in Flint, Michigan, Jazz Jennings who fought for transgender rights, and water protector Jasilyn Charger. They are proof positive that youth-led activism can change the world.
No Voice Too Small: 14 Young Americans Making History edited by Lindsay H. Metcalf, Keila V. Dawson, and Jeanette Bradley and illustrated by Jeanette Bradley
Poems by Lesléa Newman, Traci Sorell, and Nikki Grimes narrate the challenges that these fourteen young activists face. The poems are paired with narratives for each person. There is also a suggestion for how readers can further support each cause. [nonfiction picture book anthology, ages 7 and up]
p.s. Related posts:
New MCBD Classroom Kit: Activists & Activism!
Abigail Adams: Activist and Influencer
SAY HER NAME March Boston organized by Black Lives Matter
Voting and Election Children’s Books
13 Youth Activists Children’s Books
The Youngest Marcher: The Story of Audrey Faye Hendricks, a Young Civil Rights Activist by
Is nine years old too young to make a difference? This is the true story of Audrey Faye Hendricks, the youngest person to be arrested for a civil rights protest. She marched in Birmingham, Alabama in 1963. [picture book, ages 5 and up]
We Are All Greta: Be Inspired to Save the World by Valentina Giannella, illustrated by Manuela Marazzi
Centered around climate change, this book provides valuable information about the impacts on our environment and how to work together for change. It’s part science, part biography, and 100% inspirational! Use this book as a handbook for young people interested in activism. It will inspire them to start their own successful movement, just like Greta Thunberg. [nonfiction middle grade, ages 11 and up]
Malala Yousafzai: Warrior with Words by
Even a child can send a powerful message. Malala Yousafzai spoke out for every child’s right to education. Targeted by the Taliban, Malala was shot by a gunman. Her life-threatening injury did not silence her. She received the Nobel Peace Prize in 2014, the youngest at age 17 to earn this honor. [picture book, ages 4 and up]
Through My Eyes by Ruby Bridges
At just six years old, Ruby Bridges became the first African American student to desegregate an elementary school in the South. Despite the hate she faced, Ruby Bridges held fast, returning to school day after day until the school reluctantly integrated. This is her story, in her own words, of that year. She includes a historical backdrop of the events surrounding it that gives context to her own experience. [picture book, ages 8 and up]
As Fast as Words Could Fly by Pamela M. Tuck, illustrated by Eric Velasquez
14-year-old Mason Steele used his typing skills both as a writer and a speed typist to prove that he had the right to attend a previously all-white school. His important Civil Rights story showed that kids could make a difference as well as the personal battles they fought every day at school. [picture book biography, ages 6 and up]
Separate is Never Equal: Sylvia Mendez and Her Family’s Fight for Desegregation by Duncan Tonatiuh
Sylvia Mendez’s family took on segregation in 1945 … seven years before the landmark case of Brown v. Board of Education but their story is largely unknown. Their fight is still relevant today, seventy years later where segregation is unofficial but still prevalent. [nonfiction picture book, ages 6 and up]
The Great Banned-Books Bake Sale by Aya Khalil, illustrated by Anait Semirdzhyan
In this fictional story, Kanzi, the protagonist in The Arabic Quilt, discovers that all the diverse books including ones with Arabic words at her school library are now gone. She decides to fight back by creating a bake sale to raise money to donate banned books to Little Free Libraries in her community. As she reads her poem to the media at their successful bake sale, Kanzi finds her voice and realizes how powerful it is. [picture book, ages 7 and up]
Activism Anthologies and Activity Books
Art in Action: Make a Statement, Change Your World by Matthew “Levee” Chavez
Art and creativity have the power to change the world. This book is a primer on how to begin either individually or collectively as a community. Art — whether in the form of words, drawings, photos, or more — is a powerful tool! [nonfiction art book, for ages 8 and up]
We Are The Change: Words of Inspiration from Civil Rights Leaders by Harry Belafonte
“… not all of us are comfortable being outspoken in political action.” Dan Santat
With words of inspiration by civil rights leaders and art from children’s book illustrators, this book was inspired by the work of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) which guards the rights of all Americans under the law. Illustrators give their personal thoughts on a quote from an activist that they illustrate. This is a beautiful picture book to get the conversation started about what it means to be the change that we seek. [picture book, ages 8 and up]
We Rise, We Resist, We Raise Our Voices edited by Wade Hudson and Cheryl Willis Hudson
Fifty diverse children’s authors and illustrators contribute a message to children about how to navigate a world fraught with divisiveness, bias, and racism. Their words inspire a new generation to create a better world. [anthology, ages 8 and up]
Rise Up: Ordinary Kids with Extraordinary Stories by Amanda Li, illustrated by Amy Blackwell
Twenty-nine kids who have overcome incredible challenges are featured in this anthology that includes related activities. Young activists featured include Greta Thunberg, William Kamkwamba, Boyan Slat, Yeonmi Park, Abraham Keita, Malala Yousafzai, Lizzie Velásquez, Mohamad Al Jounde, Kevin Breel, and Pierre Demalvilain. [biography with activities anthology, ages 8 and up]
Rad American Women A-Z: Rebels, Trailblazers, and Visionaries who Shaped Our History . . . and Our Future! by
Rad American Women A-Z showcases women who broke boundaries in the fight for equality and social justice. 26 diverse individuals are matched to a letter of the alphabet, and each is an agent of change in her own way. [nonfiction short biography book, ages 8 and up]
You Can Change the World: The Kids’ Guide to a Better Planet by Lucy Bell
This activity book is filled with hundreds of ideas, both big and small, on sustainability. Kids from around the world including Greta Thunberg and Solli Raphael are a reminder that there is no age minimum to effect change. [biography with activities anthology, ages 12 and up]
KEILA V. DAWSON is a former community organizer and has domestic and international experience in education and special-needs advocacy. She is a co-editor of No Voice Too Small and the author of The King Cake Baby and the forthcoming Opening the Road: Victor Hugo Green and His Green Book. A New Orleans native, Keila lives in Cincinnati, Ohio. Learn more at her website.
LINDSAY H. METCALF is a co-editor of and contributor to No Voice Too Small: Fourteen Young Americans Making History, and the author of Beatrix Potter, Scientist and Farmers Unite! Planting a Protest for Fair Prices. Lindsay was raised on a Kansas farm and grew up to be a journalist, covering a variety of change-makers as a reporter, editor, and columnist. Learn more at her website.
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My books:
Food for the Future: Sustainable Farms Around the World
- Junior Library Guild Gold selection
- Selected as one of 100 Outstanding Picture Books of 2023 by dPICTUS and featured at the Bologna Children’s Book Fair
- Starred review from School Library Journal
- Chicago Library’s Best of the Best
- Imagination Soup’s 35 Best Nonfiction Books of 2023 for Kids
Amazon / Barefoot Books / Signed or Inscribed by Me
Amazon / Scholastic / Signed or Inscribed by Me
