Students on Strike: A Landmark Struggle for Equality in the Jim Crow South

By John A. Stokes and PH.D. LOIS WOLFE

Book Overview

John Stokes has waited more than 50 years to give his eyewitness account of "The Manhattan Project." This was the name he and a group of fellow students gave their strike at R.R. Moton High School that helped to end separate schooling for blacks and whites, not only in his home state of Virginia, but throughout America. Told in Stokes' own words, the story vividly conveys how his passion for learning helped set in motion one of the most powerful movements in American history, resulting in the desegregation of schools--and life--in the United States.

As a child tending crops on the family farm, John Stokes never dreamed that one day he would be at the center of the Civil Rights Movement. Yet, on April 23, 1951, he and his fellow students walked out of the school and into the history books. Their school was built to accommodate 180 students, yet over 400 black students attended classes in leaky buildings with tar paper walls. A potbelly stove served as the only source of heat, and the school lacked running water, indoor plumbing, and a cafeteria. Yet to Stokes and his fellow students, it was their path to a better life.

Students on Strike is an evocative first-person narrative from a period of radical change in American history. Stokes recounts the planning of the student walkout, the secret meetings, the plot to send the principal on a wild goose chase after "truant" students, and the strategy to boycott classes until conditions improved. The author recalls the challenges in persuading teachers and parents to support the strike, and the intimidation that came in the form of threats and a cross-burning on school grounds. Archival illustrations from Stokes' scrapbook add to the emotional impact of his story. The narrative follows the course of the lawsuits filed by the NAACP, which would became part of the historic Brown v Board of Education ruling of the U.S. Supreme Court and the subsequent end to segregation in America.

Young readers will relish this inspirational account of the heroic struggles of John Stokes and his fellow students; they will also learn a timeless lesson that people with little influence--but with great determination--can make a difference.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1426301537
• ISBN13: 9781426301537
• Release Date: December 2007
• Publisher: National Geographic Kids
• Length: 128 Pages
• Weight: 0.70 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 5.6" x 8.7"
• Age Range: 10 to 14 years
• Grade Range: Grades 5 to 9

Customer Reviews

Powerful book for teens

This book really brings the era of segregation to life for students in middle or high school. It also demonstrates the Brown v. Board was not a simple ruling in 1954, but the beginning of a decades-long struggle for racial equality in the schools. One of the interesting aspects of the story in Prince Edwards County was that the change was led by the students themselves. I would recommend it for educators teaching the civil rights era, because it does teach more about the experience than a textbook ever could. I would suggest this book along with Andrew Heidelberg's account of when Norfolk, Virginia's schools closed for an entire semester in 1958-1959. When Andrew was one of the 17 African-American students who were ordered by a judge to be let into white schools, Governor Almond ordered that those schools be closed based on the state constitution, which prohibited whites and blacks from attending the same school. That year 10,000 children were barred from attending school simply because politicians feared 17 black children going to white schools. The Norfolk 17 and the R.R. Moton protests are important events in the desegregation of American schools, and the stories of these students are great educational materials.

Perfect for high school

I assigned this book for summer reading. I can write all sorts of lessons and do all sorts of activities to teach the Jim Crow Era, but this book did more to help my students understand the overt racism in America after the Civil War. They have grown up in a time of multiculturalism and diversity. The idea that students could be denied a proper education because of the color of their skin is a foreign idea. Because this story is told from the perspective of someone their age, they approached this book differently. They appreciated that it was not the usual history book, but a true story that grabbed their attention; they forgot they were learning about American History. I highly recommend this book for all high school students. Your students will thank you.

Outstanding Record of Little-Known Injustice

I am ashamed to say that I was unaware of what went on in Prince Edward County, VA, in the Jim Crow South. This is a haunting recounting of a dreadful time for these young people, and it is astonishing that it went on in America! I fully understood Mr. Stoke's reasons for waiting fifty years to write this, and I hope those who may have harbored bitterness about the stand he and other brave young people took will understand it, also. I highly recommend this book!