From 1954 to 1956, nineteen Black mothers and thirty-seven children in Hillsboro, Ohio marched daily from their homes to the segregated Webster Elementary School to demand Black students be allowed to enroll. The school for Black children, Lincoln School, was in a poorly-resourced, deteriorating school building. The Hillsboro School Board refused to admit Black children to the white school, despite the Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka ruling calling to integrate public schools “with all deliberate speed.”  

Step by Step, an upcoming release by Daydreamers Press, tells the story of the daily protest march from the perspective of Joyce Clemons, a student marcher. The non-fiction picture book, a project of Ohio Humanities, is written by New York Times Best Selling Author Debbie Rigaud and Carlotta Penn and illustrated by Nysha Lilly. 

An Exciting Partnership
Several months ago, Ohio Humanities Executive Director Rebecca Asmo approached Daydreamers Press seeking expertise in publishing a picture book. Ohio Humanities had been working with the Lincoln School alumni to amplify their story for more than a year, and after supporting the production of a documentary film, wanted to tell the story to children. I was thrilled to join Ohio Humanities and the Lincoln School alumni in sharing this little known but super important Ohio history!

The book will be released this Fall and it is such a beautiful work of literary art. I can't wait to share it with you. 

Stay tuned for info coming soon on how you can pre-order! You can learn  more about  Ohio Humanities and the Lincoln School Marchers here. You can also download an activity-filled children's newsletter created by Daydreamers Press.