Published by Scholastic and intended for young readers, Lawrence Goldstone’s latest release, Separate No More is an important read. During this time of heightened racial reckoning, anyone who needs a refresher and a deeper dive into the 1954 landmark case Brown v. Board of Education would benefit from Goldstone’s exposition of key historical and sociocultural moments that reach back to the 1890s, which eventually led nine white men on the Warren court to rule on the inherent inequalities in separate school facilities for Blacks and Whites.
While Thurgood Marshall and Justice Earl Warren remain central figures of the Brown saga, the book also draws from the long history of intentional and methodical resistance among gifted and well-educated Black leaders and their allies in the courts, and in the court of public opinion. Early in the movement, differing approaches to sustaining Black progress caused tensions, with W.E.B. Dubois’s Black dignity-focused rhetoric winning over Blacks and White abolitionists. Accounts of the brutal lynching of Black men are a grave reminder of the generational violence endured by Black people at the hands of racist Whites.
Goldstone builds the case that the unanimous decision to dismantle the rule of prejudice and segregation was made possible by “changing hearts and minds,” evidenced by racial integration in other parts of society like sports, the arts, and military service. This book would make an excellent addition to any teacher’s reference list, as it bears significant lessons for all learners to understand the stories of sacrifice and risk-taking that were necessary to ultimately achieve equality.