By: Selina Alko
Illustrated By: Sean Qualls and Selina Alko
Social Justice Element: 3: Issues of Social Injustice
The Case for Loving: The Fight for Interracial Marriage presents young readers with the ugly and very recent history of racial miscegenation laws and the heroic struggle to undo them. The story focuses on the famous Loving v. Virginia case where Richard and Mildred Loving sued the state of Virginia to have their interracial marriage recognized and honored by the state. The illustrations present young readers with compelling visuals to help them contextualize the more abstract issues behind the story and the court case itself. This is ultimately a story about how individuals should be allowed to love whomever they please and have that validated by the government in the same way more "traditional" couples do. This book represents issues of social injustice by highlighting an example of how race was used to deny ordinary people a right that others could enjoy. It centers on the extraordinary experience of two ordinary people using the legal system to being about change and correct a social injustice. I could use this book to highlight that injustice is often systemic and institutional in nature and that it is often the dedication and hard work of everyday individuals that beings about change.
No comments:
Post a Comment