August 28th is the anniversary of the day when Martin Luther King Jr. gave his 1963 "I have a Dream..." speech in Washington D.C. He was supported on this day by many speakers, leaders, and singers. One of the people who stood at his side then, and on other occasions, was a woman whose voice could make people smile and weep. her name was Mahalia Jackson. Today's picture book tells the story of the connection and friendship that grew between Martin Luther King Jr. and Mahalia Jackson. We see how both of them raised their voices to encourage people to have hope, to stand tall, and to peacefully fight for equality.
Andrea Davis Pinkney
Illustrated by Brian Pinkney
Nonfiction Picture Book
For ages 6 and up
Little Brown, 2013, 978-0-316-07013-3
In two cities in the south, there were two children who learn
how to use their voices to reach out to their people. In Atlanta, Georgia, young
Martin Luther King Jr. learned how to deliver sermons in church, captivating
his listeners with his “Gift for gospel.” In another church in New Orleans,
Louisiana, Mahalia Jackson sang in the choir and everyone could see that she
had a gift for gospel: sung gospel.
In the south
where these young people lived, African Americans, the descendants of slaves,
did not have the same rights as white American citizens. They were kept
separate from white people by Jim Crow laws and had to accept being separate “but
nowhere near equal.”
As Martin and
Mahalia grew up their gift for gospel grew with them. People came to hear
Martin’s sermons, to be strengthened by his words of hope. People also came to
hear Mahalia sing and they bought her records. White people and black alike
loved her voice, which was “Brass and Butter. Strong and smooth at the same
time.” Both Martin and Mahalia wanted to “set people on the path to peace,”
they wanted people to hope that one day all people, white and black, would be
free. The two admired each other a great deal and then in 1955, during the
Montgomery Bus Boycott, they came together to preach and sing their support for
the cause.
This
collaboration was just the beginning. They wanted to do more and both decided
that they would take part in the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. Here was an opportunity for Martin and
Mahalia to reach out to thousands of people. After Mahalia sang to quieten the
crowd, Martin began speaking and his friend encouraged him to speak on. “Tell
them about your dream, Martin!” she said. And so he did.
In this
extraordinary picture book we meet two people who in their own ways used their
voices to encourage Americans to protest peacefully against inequality and
injustice and to “rejoice in the beauty of racial unity.”
The lyrical text
is paired with beautifully expressive artwork, and at the back of the book
readers will find out more information about Martin and Mahalia, a note from
the illustrator about “Painting Parallels,” and a combined timeline of Martin
and Mahalia’s lives.