Here's Why Sometimes People March

Sometimes People March by Tessa Allen

Sometimes People March by Tessa Allen is a beautifully illustrated picture book that explores the reasons why people protest, framed in an easy to understand way.

"Sometimes ants march.

Sometimes bands march.

Sometimes people march. 

Marching is something people do together when they want to resist injustice 

or when they notice the need for change." 

Illustrations represent a wide range of American protests, from protests for workers rights, civil rights, disability rights, climate protections and more. The back of the book has a glossary with information about the movements, marches, and key figures in the book art, which is great if you want to learn more about these historic and present-day movements. To hear the book read aloud, check out our October 2020 Digital Storytime, focusing on community helpers and our country.

The newsies strike in 1899, is one of the movements represented in the book and one many of us are probably most familiar with from the musical movie Newsies. Hundreds of working kids known as newsies, went on strike to protest their unfair working conditions selling papers for New York's biggest newspaper publishers. Their strike was successful, and inspired other labor strikes across the country!

Capitol Crawl from Stephanie K Thomas on Vimeo.

American disability rights activism began with Dorothea Dix as early as the 1800s and saw great strides in 1990 with the passing of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The Capitol Crawl, seen in the movie above, was part of the Wheels of Justice rally at the US Capitol on March 12, 1990. Hundreds of people with disabilities participated to encourage Congress to move forward on passing the ADA. As people with disabilities dragged their wheelchairs and arm crutches alongside them as they crawled up the steps to the Capitol, they demonstrated the real and symbolic struggle people with disabilities faced in dealing with the society's discrimination, and the strength and perseverance of people with disabilities in facing these obstacles.

Colin Kaepernick: Athletes Who Made a Difference by Blake Hoena 

The Black Lives Matter movement is a current protest demanding an end to police brutality and liberation of all Black lives. Colin Kaepernick was an early celebrity face of this movement, a football player who would kneel before NFL games during the national anthem as a way to draw attention to these issues. The graphic biography, Colin Kaepernick: Athletes Who Made a Difference by Blake Hoena, is a great resource of young readers or anyone who wants to learn more about this athlete activist.

In addition to those previously shared, there are so many additional books and resources in our collection that can help you explore and learn more about protest movements of all kinds. The graphic biography series March by late civil rights activist and Congressman John Lewis; the movie Loving about the interracial couple Mildred Jeter and Richard Loving; and Glimmer of Hope: How Tragedy Sparked a Movement by the founders of March for our Lives, the student-led movement advocating for gun safety are just a few.

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Have you ever participated in a protest or march? What is important enough to you that you would join with others in protesting to ensure it is protected?