V. P. Franklin is Distinguished Professor Emeritus of History and Education at the University of California, Riverside. He has served as the Editor of The Journal of African American History (2001-2018) and is the author of books including Living Our Stories, Telling Our Truths- Autobiography and the Making of the African American Intellectual Tradition, and co-author of My Soul Is a Witness- A Chronology of the Civil Rights Era, 1954-1965.
“Lively history of the teenagers and young adults who fought some
of the hardest battles of the civil rights movement . . . A
compelling narrative that sheds light on a little-known aspect of
the struggle for social justice.”
—Kirkus Reviews
“Celebrates the young people who became activists and changed the
country for getting into ‘good trouble,’ as the late US Rep. John
Lewis put it.”
—San Francisco Chronicle Datebook
“In The Young Crusaders, V. P. Franklin reveals that the entire
history of civil rights protest has depended in large measure on
activism by children and teenagers. Covering events in nearly fifty
cities, the book is stunning in its breadth and proves the
undeniable impact and courage of these youthful activists. Their
voices and stories resonate powerfully today, and should energize
and inspire a new generation of young activists in their fight for
reparations and equality.”
—Mary Frances Berry, Geraldine R. Segal Professor of American
Social Thought and Professor of History and Africana Studies,
University of Pennsylvania, and author of History Teaches Us to
Resist
“Filling a void in our understanding of the civil rights movement,
V. P. Franklin presents the remarkable and largely untold story of
young peoples’ central role in the movement. The Young Crusaders
reveals the unheralded work of children and teens, showcasing the
incredible power of youth activism for our time, for all time.”
—Ibram X. Kendi, National Book Award–winning and #1 New York Times
best-selling author
“Few make history jump off the pages like V. P. Franklin, one of
the field’s most prominent and thoughtful historians. The Young
Crusaders will stand as the definitive untold history of young
people getting into ‘good trouble’ for racial justice. Franklin
documents the relentless history of young people resisting and
launching social justice campaigns for civil rights, educational
justice, Black Power, and reparations. Both revelatory as well as a
joy to read, it is a profound reflection on the power of young
crusaders to change the world.”
—Bettina Love, author of We Want To Do More Than Survive:
Abolitionist Teaching and the Pursuit of Educational Freedom
“The Civil Rights Movement overthrew Jim Crow and changed America.
While famous leaders like Dr. King are well known, it is not widely
known that actions by Black children and teenagers were crucial to
the movement’s success. These youth faced death, injury, attack
dogs, imprisonment, and rebuke as they courageously fought as
movement foot soldiers to destroy a vicious system of racism.
Through meticulous research and analysis, V. P. Franklin presents
the voices of these children to document how they toppled legalized
racial oppression. For the first time, their revelatory and
powerful stories are articulated here in The Young Crusaders.”
—Aldon Morris, author of The Origins of the Civil Rights Movement:
Black Communities Organizing for Change and president of the
American Sociological Association
“V. P. Franklin’s The Young Crusaders is a revelation, profoundly
broadening our understanding of the Civil Rights Movement and the
essential role of Black youth in revolutionary movements of the
past and today. It is a must-read—brilliantly conceived and
researched, beautifully written, and deeply moving.”
—Brenda E. Stevenson, author of The Contested Murder of Latasha
Harlins: Justice, Gender, and the Origins of the LA Riots
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