Civil Rights Movements Archives

Bayard Rustin: Behind the Scenes of the Civil Rights Movement

Book — Non-fiction. By James Haskins. 1997. 128 pages.
Biography for middle school readers of Bayard Rustin.

Refusing Racism: White Allies and the Struggle for Civil Rights

Book — Non-fiction. By Cynthia Stokes Brown. 2002. 192 pages.
Four short biographies of white people who've fought against racism in U.S. history.

Freedom School, Yes!

Picture book. By Amy Littlesugar. Illustrated by Floyd Cooper. 2001. 40 pages.
Historical fiction about the 1964 Freedom Schools for upper elementary.

One Crazy Summer

Book — Fiction. By Rita Williams-Garcia. 2010. 224 pages.
Chapter book for middle school introduces readers to the Black Panthers in 1960s Oakland.

A Power Governments Cannot Suppress

Book — Non-fiction. By Howard Zinn. 2006. 293 pages.
A collection of essays on American history, class, immigration, justice, and ordinary citizens who have made a difference.

Scraps of Time: Abby Takes a Stand, 1960

Book — Fiction. By Patricia McKissack. 2006. 112 pages.
Historical fiction about the lunch counter sit-ins for ages 9+.

Undaunted By the Fight: Spelman College and the Civil Rights Movement, 1957-1967

Book — Non-fiction. By Harry G. Lefever. 2005. 304 pages.
The story of Spelman College students and faculty engagement in the Civil Rights Movement from 1957 to 1967.

A People’s History of the United States: Highlights from the Twentieth Century (Audio)

Audio. By Howard Zinn. Read by Matt Damon. 2003. 8 hours, 44 minutes.
Audio book version of excerpted highlights from A People's History of the United States.

Freedom’s Teacher: The Life of Septima Clark

Book — Non-fiction. By Katherine Mellen Charron. 2009. 480 pages.
Biography of Septima Clark who played a major role in the Civil Rights Movement through education.

Silver Rights: The Story of the Carter Family’s Brave Decision to Send Their Children to an All-White Schools and Claim Their Civil Rights

Book — Non-fiction. By Constance Curry. Introduction by Marian Wright Edelman. 1996. 288 pages.
The story of the Carter family's decision to send their children to an all-white school in Drew, Mississippi.

The Wrong Side of Murder Creek: A White Southerner in the Freedom Movement

Book — Non-fiction. By Bob Zellner with Constance Curry. Foreword by Julian Bond. 2008. 351 pages.
Zellner tells how one white Alabamian joined ranks with the Black students who were sitting-in, marching, fighting, and sometimes dying to challenge the Southern "way of life."

SNCC: The New Abolitionists

Book — Non-fiction. By Howard Zinn. 1964; re-published in 2013. 246 pages.
A detailed history of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee.

We Shall Overcome: A Song That Changed the World

Book — Non-fiction. By Stuart Stotts. Illustrated by Terrance Cummings. 2010. and a CD. 64 pages.
History of the song from the Civil Rights Movement and other struggles, "We Shall Overcome."

From Here To There: The Staughton Lynd Reader

Book — Non-fiction. By Staughton Lynd, 2010. 320 pages.
A collection of unpublished talks and hard-to-find essays from legendary activist-historian Staughton Lynd.

Ready for Revolution: The Life and Struggles of Stokely Carmichael (Kwame Ture)

Book — Non-fiction. By Stokely Carmichael and Ekwueme Michael Thelwell. 2005. 848 pages.
Autobiography of Stokely Carmichael (Kwame Ture).

Civil Rights Movement Veterans

Digital collection. Resources on the Southern Freedom Movement compiled by those who lived it. Includes a bibliography, timelines, photos, primary source documents, and lists of speakers.

There Comes a Time: The Struggle for Civil Rights

Book — Non-fiction. By Milton Meltzer. 2002. 208 pages.
History of the struggle for civil rights throughout U.S. history for middle school readers.

The Veterans of Hope Project

Digital collection. A multifaceted educational initiative that focuses on community building, non-violence and justice.

Hands on the Freedom Plow: Personal Accounts by Women in SNCC

Book — Non-fiction. Edited by Faith S. Holsaert, Martha Prescod Norman Noonan, Judy Richardson, Betty Garman Robinson, Jean Smith Young, and Dorothy M. Zellner. 2010. 616 pages.
An unprecedented women's history of the Civil Rights Movement, from sit-ins to Black Power.