2019 Winner of the Coretta Scott King Award for Authors
by Claire Hartfield
On a hot day in July 1919, three black youths went swimming in Lake Michigan, unintentionally floating close to the "white" beach. An angry white man began throwing stones at the boys, striking and killing one. Racial conflict on the beach erupted into days of urban violence that shook Chicago to its foundations. This mesmerizing account traces the roots of the explosion that had been building for decades in race relations, politics, business, and clashes of culture.
Though not recognized as an association award by the ALA until 1982, the Coretta Scott King Award had its inception in the late sixties. The award, commemorating Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and honoring his widow, Coretta Scott King, honors African American writers and illustrators and celebrates the African-American experience through artistic expression. It is presented annually by the Coretta Scott King Task Force of the American Library Association's Social Responsibilities Round Table.