Dr. Jewell Parker Rhodes and illustrator R. Gregory Christie are the 2026 winners of the Coretta Scott King Book Awards, presented by the American Library Association to honor outstanding African American authors and illustrators of children’s and young adult literature. Arriel Vinson received the Coretta Scott King/John Steptoe New Talent Award, while additional Author and Illustrator Honor Books recognized works by Derrick Barnes, Calvin Alexander Ramsey, Marie Arnold, Lamont O’Neal and Alexis Franklin.
Tag: Coretta Scott King
Posted inOpinion
Claudette Colvin, MLK, and the erasure of Black women from civil rights canon
Claudette Colvin, a civil rights activist who challenged segregation as a teenager, is pictured years after her historic arrest that preceded the Montgomery Bus Boycott. Julienne Louis Anderson, a lifelong educator, womanist and a fellow of The OpEd Project in partnership with the National Black Child Development Institute, argues that Colvin’s story, long excluded from textbooks and curricula, reflects the broader erasure of Black women from the Civil Rights Movement.
Posted inWashington D.C. News
Local UNCF and MLK Holiday DC Committee prepare to celebrate Dr. King’s birthday
By D. Kevin McNeirSpecial to the AFRO Over the next week, Americans and others around the world will celebrate the birthday, life and legacy of “the drum major for peace,” the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Born Jan. 15, 1929, in Atlanta, Ga., the Baptist minister represents one of the greatest minds of the […]
Posted inWord In Black
Amid backsliding, a Michigan group keeps MLK’s fire burning
As the nation marks 40 years of the Martin Luther King Jr. federal holiday, the King Commission of Mid-Michigan—one of the oldest organizations devoted to King’s legacy—continues to adapt amid civil rights backsliding. With fewer living veterans of the movement, the Commission is shifting its focus toward educating and empowering younger generations, using its nationally prominent King Luncheon and year-round programming to keep Dr. King’s vision of justice and collective action alive.
Posted inOPINION
Opinion: Dr. King’s Poor People’s Campaign foretold America’s affordability crisis
Rising costs and stagnant wages have pushed affordability to a crisis point for working families in 2026. Charlene Crowell, a senior fellow with the Center for Responsible Lending, argues that Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s Poor People’s Campaign foresaw these challenges and that its call for economic justice remains urgently relevant today.
Posted inCivil Rights
The long struggle to establish Martin Luther King Jr. Day
Martin Luther King Jr. Day is celebrated on the third Monday of January to honor the civil rights leader’s legacy of equality, justice, and non-violent protest, with millions of people participating in service projects and reflecting on his life and legacy.
Posted inNational News
Bernice King urges people to focus on her father’s teachings in 2025
Bernice King, daughter of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., is urging people to truly focus on his teachings and work throughout the coming year, rather than just quoting him or celebrating for a day, in the lead up to the Martin Luther King Jr. Day holiday.
Posted inNEWS
Poor People’s Campaign leaders bring fight against poverty, voter suppression to nation’s capital
Thousands of activists and concerned citizens gathered in Washington, D.C. on June 29 to demand economic justice and voting rights for the poor, led by national faith leaders Bishop William J. Barber II and Rev. Dr. Liz Theoharis.
Posted inNational News
Connecting through time: Five ways to honor the ancestors on Juneteenth
Juneteenth is a day to celebrate freedom, learn about Black history, document your own story, embrace your community, and practice health and wellness.