Rochelle Riley - That They Lived: African Americans Who Changed the World

Praise for That They Lived

That They Lived is an instant classic. Words and images, the past and the future, weave back and forth in a stunningly original childrens book, until we see and hear the American Dream becoming an American reality as the young people depictedand the young people readingcome to know their history and their power. People of all ages will enjoy this brilliant, necessary, charming, and inspiring volume. Parents and teachers will find inspirations for endless activities inspired by these pages.

ALICE RANDALL , professor of African-American childrens literature at Vanderbilt University and author of The Diary of B. B. Bright, Possible Princess (winner of the Phillis Wheatley Book Award) and Black Bottom Saints

It is true that children can only become what they see. That They Lived provides that window on the world of African Americans who achieved greatness, often against the odds. Rileys words combined with Smith-Joness beautiful and touching photography make these history-makers accessible for children and adults alike.

TERRI LEE FREEMAN , President, National Civil Rights Museum

That They Lived transforms Frederick Douglass from a historical figure into a courageous soul who helped turn the nation against slavery. Aretha Franklin is no longer just a voice but a young woman who overcame tragedy and prejudice on her way to success. That They Lived makes the stories of these courageous African Americans come alive, making it possible for young people of all colors to see how they, too, can change the world.

JERRY MITCHELL , author of Race Against Time

There is no other book about African American lives like That They Lived. Riley and Smith-Jones have revisited twenty-one historic figures to demonstrate that whatever fame or greatness one achieves, everyone was a child once. How wonderful to learn of the childhoods of icons from Douglass to Obama, Wells to Hamer, and so many more. The book gleams with the sheer variety of Black life and ambition. The photographs are magic. This is for young readers, but really for all of us since we all came from somewhere.

DAVID W. BLIGHT , Yale University, author of Pulitzer Prizewinning Frederick Douglass: Prophet of Freedom

The moment my son begins to read, I will give him this fascinating book. The chance to experience our Black heroes younger lives gives our children the confidence to pursue the greatness of their own. We know how the world sees us, so its essential to ensure that our children see themselves as powerful before sending them out in it. Rochelle and Cristis book is an elegant and profound means to help them do just that.

QASIM BASIR , filmmaker

Mixing words with images, That They Lived introduces African American luminaries anew through the eyes of a girl named Lola and a boy named Caleb. Their game of dress-up is not merely play, explains Lolas mother, photographer Cristi Smith-Jones. Their imaginings are paired here with Rochelle Rileys vivid biographies, inviting us all to see ourselves in the Black Americans who have transformed our world. This book invites young people to dream big and then fashion themselves into the next generation of change agents.

MARTHA S. JONES , author of Vanguard: How Black Women Broke Barriers, Won the Vote, and Insisted on Equality for All

Rochelle Riley and Cristi Smith-Jones

A Painted Turtle Book

Detroit

2021 by Rochelle Riley and Cristi Smith-Jones. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced without formal permission.

ISBN 978-0-8143-4754-6 (paperback); ISBN 978-0-8143-4755-3 (ebook)

LIBRARY OF CONGRESS CONTROL NUMBER: 2020944274

Published with support from the Arthur L. Johnson Fund for African American Studies.

That They Lived was made possible through a grant provided by the Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan.

Wayne State University Press

Leonard N. Simons Building

4809 Woodward Avenue

Detroit, Michigan 48201-1309

Visit us online at wsupress.wayne.edu

To every child who aspires to be great... when they grow up

I n June 2019, I ran into the renowned writer Rochelle Riley at a local car wash. I first met her in 2015 when I was in the fourth grade and was a finalist in a writing competition she hosted. It was definitely a blast from the past when I saw her again.

I was on the phone with a customer, so she told my mom about the latest book she was completing on important African Americans who had changed the world. And my mom told her how I had started my own business making natural body butters and body scrubs.

After I finished my conversation, Ms. Riley congratulated me on all my hard work. Then, all of a sudden, she asked me if I would write the foreword for her book!

I remember growing up and my mother and fatherand, most importantly, my grandmothermaking sure that I knew my roots. I remember reading different books on African-American culture. I was at the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History so much that we should have gotten memberships. I even got the chance to experience the fiftieth anniversary of the March on Selma by traveling to Selma, Alabama. I had the opportunity to walk across the Edmund Pettus Bridge, where many civil rights activists put their lives on the line for our right to vote. I felt proud and powerful as I placed one foot in front of the other, knowing that my ancestors once walked before me. We also visited the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama, where four little Black girls were killed in a hate bombing in 1963. I felt a sense of discomfort knowing that four innocent girls near my age were killed because of the color of their skin. So, I am aware of the past struggles and triumphs of African-American people.

I was so excited about Ms. Rileys new book, and I was thrilled that she asked me to write the foreword. I had only one question in my mind: Why me?

Well, I had a second question. What Ms. Riley didnt know was that I didnt have a clue what a foreword was. But I wasnt going to let her down. I looked up the definition: a short introduction to a book, typically by a person other than the author.

Then I read the book. And I instantly fell in love with it!

Photographer Cristi Smith-Joness story about how this journey began was absolutely remarkable. It sounded like a fairy tale. What a great idea it was to take pictures of her young daughter honoring different African-American women in history. It led to major outreach around the world. I felt a connection with Ms. Smith-Joness daughter because when I returned from Selma, I was so amazed by what I had witnessed that I created a pictorial quilt with the faces of African-American women in the civil rights movement.

This is not just a book about different African Americans. It has information that museums dont even have. Not only did the facts in the stories capture my attention, but the pictures featuring Ms. Smith-Joness daughter and Ms. Rileys grandson were oh-so-cute. But they were also powerful.