How do you condense more than 150 years of civil rights history in to a single book — and make it understandable and meaningful to a fifth grader?
St. Louisan Amanda Doyle and co-author Melanie Adams recently attempted to do just that, for their children's book, “Standing Up for Civil Rights in St. Louis.” It starts in the 1800s with the stories of people who were enslaved, and ends with the 2014 shooting death of Michael Brown and the subsequent protests in Ferguson. But its message looks to the future, asking kids what they can do to change enduring problems facing African-Americans.
“Kids need to know that when Rosa Park sat down on the bus, that wasn’t the end of the story," Doyle said.
In our latest Cut & Paste podcast, we talk with Doyle and Adams about creating the book in connection with the Missouri History Museum's "#1 in Civil Rights" exhibition, and what they learned in the process.
Look for new Cut & Paste (#cutpastestl) podcasts every few weeks on our website. You can also find all previous podcasts focusing on a diverse collection of visual and performing artists, and subscribe to Cut & Paste through this link.
The podcast is sponsored by SPACE Architecture + Design.
Follow Willis and Nancy on Twitter: @WillisRArnold and @NancyFowlerSTL
Please help St. Louis Public Radio find creative people to feature on Cut & Paste. Tell us which artists and cultural drivers deserve a closer look.
