Author Andrea Davis Pinkney shares her
inspiration for Let It Shine: Stories of
Black Women Freedom Fighters in a preface entitled “This Little Light of
Mine.” Both her parents were active in the fight for civil rights, and black
empowerment was “a deeply held belief that [her] parents, through their
example, instilled in their three children.” Each of the women included in Pinkney's expressive collected biography was a beacon in the continuous struggle for
equality and justice. Some are well known, others less so, but all were ardent
in speaking out for their beliefs. The profiles are presented chronologically, starting with Sojourner Truth, whose slave name was Belle. She claimed Inspiration caused her to change
the name, saying “Get yourself a new name, child. Live up to
that name by preaching what’s real and what’s right.” The final profile is of Shirley
Chisholm; she was the first black woman to serve in the U.S. House of
Representatives and, as a candidate for the presidency in 1972, said “I am not
the candidate of black America, although I am black and proud. I am not the
candidate for the women’s movement of this country, although I am a woman…I am
the candidate of the people.” Other strong women in the author's collection are
Biddy Mason, Harriet Tubman, Ida B. Wells-Barnett, Mary McLeod Bethune, Ella
Josephine Baker, Dorothy Irene Height, Rosa Parks and Fannie Lou Hamer.
Pinkney distills the life events of each woman in a fluid, colloquial manner, highlighting
their challenges and accomplishments. Dramatic, allegorical full-page artwork
by Stephen Alcorn captures the portrait and the passion of each woman. Further
readings are suggested at the conclusion. Ages 9-13, younger for reading aloud,
and adults.
