Many public libraries were still segregated until the mid 1960’s. This made it difficult for blacks who wished to become literate. Booker T. Washington (1856-1915) and Richard Wright (1908-1960) were African-American boys who wanted nothing more than to learn to read.
To begin a dialogue, ask students what they know about libraries. They should know that with a library card, libraries are places where people go to borrow books. Tell them while that is true today, it wasn’t always the case. Explain that some African-Americans found ways to learn to read. Ask children why they think someone would want to learn to read? Guide them to discover that in reading, a person can learn about many different subjects. Knowledge is power.
Present the book
More Than Anything Else
by Marie Bradby. Tell the class that the book is about a boy who really wanted to learn to read. Explain how the boy was born into slavery but was freed, as were most slaves, after the Civil War. Read the story to students, asking questions during and after reading about the boy’s life, his occupation, and his desire to read. At the end of the story, the boy writes his name in the sand: Booker. He is Booker T. Washington, famed educator and racial leader. Ask children how Booker might feel if he was allowed to borrow books from a library. How might it have made his learning process easier?
Another book about a famous black American is
Richard Wright and the Library Card
by William Miller. As an adolescent, Richard wanted to learn to read. At the age of seventeen, he began working in an optician’s office. That’s when he met Jim Falk. Jim was a white man with a library card. One day, Richard mustered up the courage to ask Jim if he could use his library card. Jim, although hesitant, allowed Richard the use of his card so long as Richard kept it a secret. From then on, Richard frequented the library and read as often as he could. The books inspired him to become a very successful writer. During the book, ask students why Jim wanted Richard to keep it (the library card) a secret. Also ask students why they think reading changed Richard’s life. After reading, compare Richard Wright to Booker T. Washington. Booker was a slave while Richard was always free. Neither boy had easy access to books. They both had to work hard to learn to read. Learning to read led them to very successful careers. Then show
The Library
(1960, Jacob Lawrence).
The Library (1960, Jacob Lawrence). Ask the students how the artist must feel about reading. The work shows there are fourteen African-American people engrossed in the books they are reading. The floor and tables are shades of brown and gold. The artist has connected the people with the books through the use of bright, vibrant colors. The artist therefore must hold reading in high regard as did Booker T. Washington and Richard Wright.
If possible, plan a trip to the town’s public library. Prior to visiting the library, have parents fill out applications for library cards so you have them for students before the trip. Find out if the library was ever segregated and if so, when it became desegregated. Allow students to use their library cards to borrow books.