One Woman's Case for Equality and Respect
December 13, 2021
In this stirring profile, the mother-son author-illustrator team center Mary Lucille Hamilton (1935–2002), a Black civil rights activist and educator whose 1964 Supreme Court case, Hamilton v. Alabama, ensured that people of color would be addressed by courtesy titles and last names in court, like their white counterparts. Carole Boston Weatherford provides unflinching narration of Hamilton’s “fiery spirit” and nonviolent resistance: “Mary had news for that judge. She was not afraid to fight in court for what’s right. With NAACP lawyers on her side, she fought the contempt charge all the way to the United States Supreme Court.” Collages made of photographs and fine-lined sketches on scratchboard by Jeffery Boston Weatherford, combined with boldly graphical book design, give the picture book a cinematic quality, placing due emphasis on Miss Hamilton’s landmark case. Back matter features a note on names, a timeline with photographs, and further reading. Ages 7–11.
March 1, 2022
Mary Hamilton was a teacher, a Freedom Rider, a CORE regional director, and an agent of change. Carole Boston Weatherford's (Unspeakable, rev. 1/21, and many others) poetic free-verse text provides readers with a brief sketch of Hamilton's extraordinary life before shifting focus to her judicial fight for dignity. Hamilton's nonviolent resistance to injustices of the Jim Crow South led to many encounters with Southern law enforcement, including several arrests, one of which had a resounding impact on the legal world. In an Alabama courtroom, when a white prosecutor disrespectfully called her by her first name, she refused to answer unless he called her "Miss Hamilton," even when she was ordered by the judge to respond. Hamilton was held in contempt of court. The NAACP-backed lawsuits that followed led to an important Supreme Court ruling, which requires judges and lawyers to address all participants in a courtroom with dignity and respect. Jeffery Boston Weatherford's (You Can Fly, rev. 7/16) large, striking scratchboard and collage illustrations, which often incorporate archival photographs, complement the clear narrative. A variety of typefaces are used to accentuate the art and emphasize Hamilton's bold actions. A detailed timeline and a list of further reading round out this impressive volume. Eric Carpenter
(Copyright 2022 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)