NCW Libraries

Examines the life and career of "John Lewis, known for his role in the civil rights movement--having helped organize the March on Washington and the Selma Voting Rights March--and for his lifelong dedication to public service as a member of the House of Representatives. [He] was never afraid to get in good trouble"--Publisher marketing.

While the world may know the major names of the Civil Rights movement, there are countless lesser-known heroes fighting the good fight to advance equal justice for all, heeding the call when no one else was listening, often risking their lives and livelihoods in the process. This book shines a light on everyday people called to do extraordinary things--like Pauli Murray, whose early work informed Thurgood Marshall's legal argument for Brown v. Board...

This biography of Malcolm X draws on new research to trace his life from his troubled youth through his involvement in the Nation of Islam, his activism in the world of Black Nationalism, and his assassination. Years in the making, it is a definitive biography of the legendary black activist. Of the great figures in twentieth-century American history perhaps none is more complex and controversial than Malcolm X. Constantly rewriting his own story,...

Incorporating interviews and rare archival video, this documentary chronicles U.S. Congressman John Lewis's 60-plus years of social activism and legislative action relating to civil rights, voting rights, gun control, health care reform, and immigration. Using present-day interviews with Lewis, who passed away in 2020 at the age of 80, the film explores his childhood experiences, his inspiring family, and his meeting with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr....

"Walter F. White led two lives: one as a leader of the Harlem Renaissance and the NAACP in the early twentieth century; the other as a white newspaperman who covered lynching crimes in the Deep South at the blazing height of racial violence. Born mixed race and with very fair skin and straight hair, White was able to "pass" for white. He leveraged this ambiguity as a reporter, bringing to light the darkest crimes in America and helping to plant the...

"In turbulent times Americans look to the Civil Rights Movement as the apotheosis of political expression. As we confront questions of social inequality there's no better time to revisit the lessons of the '60s and no better leader to learn from than Congressman John Lewis. In Across That Bridge, Congressman Lewis draws from his experience as a leader of the Civil Rights Movement to offer timeless guidance to anyone seeking to live virtuously and...

"Understand the groundswell movement for Marcus Garvey's posthumous pardon through this compelling and timely work. Edited by Garvey's son Julius, this collection of writings by thought leaders and activists preserves and honors the elder Garvey's legacy for a new generation of social activists" -- Provided by publisher.

"The first full biography in decades, "King" mixes revelatory and exhaustive new research with brisk and accessible storytelling to forge the definitive life for our times"-- "Vividly written and exhaustively researched, Jonathan Eig's King: A Life is the first major biography in decades of the civil rights icon Martin Luther King Jr.--and the first to include recently declassified FBI files. In this revelatory new portrait of the preacher and activist...

"A poignant picture book biography on how John Lewis got his library card and helped change history. All John Lewis wanted was a library card, but in 1956, libraries were only for white people. That didn't seem fair to John, and so he spent a lifetime advocating for change and fighting against unfair laws until the laws changed. Finally, black people could eat at restaurants, see movies, vote in elections, and even get library cards. With an in-depth...

"Bayard Rustin was a troublemaker. He spent his life disrupting racism and prejudice with nonviolent direct action. He organized protests against war, nuclear weapons, racial segregation and discrimination. He was a friend and mentor to Martin Luther King Jr., and he was unapologetically gay and Black. When Bayard and his mentor, A. Philip Randolph, set out to organize the historic March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, Bayard was targeted by those...