Lizzie Demands a Seat!
Elizabeth Jennings Fights for Streetcar Rights
Beth Anderson
- In
- 1854,
- Elizabeth
- "Lizzie"
- Jennings,
- an
- African
- American
- schoolteacher,
- fought
- back
- when
- she
- was
- unjustly
- denied
- entry
- to
- a
- New
- York
- City
- streetcar,
- sparking
- the
- beginnings
- of
- the
- long
- struggle
- to
- gain
- equal
- rights
- on
- public
- transportation.One
- hundred
- years
- before
- Rosa
- Parks
- took
- her
- stand,
- Elizabeth
- "Lizzie"
- Jennings
- tried
- to
- board
- a
- streetcar
- in
- New
- York
- City
- on
- her
- way
- to
- church.
- Though
- there
- were
- plenty
- of
- empty
- seats,
- she
- was
- denied
- entry,
- assaulted,
- and
- threatened
- all
- because
- of
- her
- race--even
- though
- New
- York
- was
- a
- free
- state
- at
- that
- time.
- Lizzie
- decided
- to
- fight
- back.
- She
- told
- her
- story,
- took
- her
- case
- to
- court--where
- future
- president
- Chester
- Arthur
- represented
- her--and
- won!
- Her
- victory
- was
- the
- first
- recorded
- in
- the
- fight
- for
- equal
- rights
- on
- public
- transportation,
- and
- Lizzie's
- case
- set
- a
- precedent.
- Author
- Beth
- Anderson
- and
- acclaimed
- illustrator
- E.
- B.
- Lewis
- bring
- this
- inspiring,
- little-known
- story
- to
- life
- in
- this
- captivating book.
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