Thursday, August 06, 2015

Celebrate The 50th Anniversary of the Voting Rights Act

Hopefully, no one is in school quite yet to celebrate today, but definitely take a moment to reflect on the Voting Rights Act today, and possibly stop by your public library to take a look at the following book about this historical legislation.

Lillian's Right to Vote: A Celebration of the Voting Rights Act of 1965Winter, Jonah and Evans, Shane W. (illus.)
Lillian's Right to Vote: A Celebration of the Voting Rights Act of 1965
July 14th 2015 by Schwartz & Wade
Copy provided by the publisher

Told from the point of view of an elderly woman making her weary way to the polls, this picture book shows and discusses key events on the road to voting rights told through the memories of the woman. Her picture, and present day backgrounds are drawn in full color, while the events and people she is remembering are in faded monochrome, which is a nice touch. Covering events from the time of the Civil War to the present day, this book also includes notes with further explanations of issues surrounding voting.

This would be a great book to use in the classroom to explain voting rights to students in all grades, and would be a good springboard for discussions about a variety of facets of voting.

I always point out to my students that since my grandmother was not able to vote until she was 27 years old (when women were given the right to vote), I always make sure I get to the polls to exercise my ability to participate in the democratic process.

No comments:

Post a Comment