Freedom on the Menu: The Greensboro Sit-Ins by Carole Boston Weatherford
Published: December 2004
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Carole Boston Weatherford’s research is notably thorough, shaping the narrative with historical accuracy, giving the reader a glimpse into this pivotal moment in time during the 1960 Greensboro Sit-Ins in North Carolina, by which four young men from A&T College sat down at a Woolworth’s counter to be served; an act that would set the wheels of change in motion in the segregated South and beyond.
Freedom on the Menu brings this story to life through the lens of an eight-year-old child who is experiencing the sting of hateful rejection and separation all around her. “All over town, signs told Mama and me where we could and couldn’t go. Signs on water fountains, swimming pools, movie theaters, even bathrooms.” Signs that divide. When one day she and her mom visited the Woolworth downtown, Connie saw four young Black men sitting at the lunch counter requesting to be served! “Times are changing” and many would join in their efforts. Protests were growing and spreading until one summer day Connie and her family saw a Black woman being served at the counter! Victory.
Carole Boston Weatherford dedicates this book, “To the courageous students who stood up by sitting down, so we could all have a place at the table.” Her author’s note provides more of the historic details, including quotes from two of the four men involved, as well as from one of the first women to be served at the Woolworth’s lunch counter in the summer of 1960.
I appreciate this story and that it is told from a child’s point of view. A child who wondered what part she could play in advocating for justice. This book was first published in 2004 about an event that occurred in the 1960s but it is relevant to today’s kids who are trying to find their place in a world that in 2019 is still divisive, and that is still grossly plagued with injustice. I plan to add this book to my K-5 library. It is a great resource for teachers to use with students in 4th grade and up. Check out her website to print out a bookmark for FREE! https://cbweatherford.com/
Shout-Outs
Carole Boston Weatherford | https://cbweatherford.com/
Puffin Books | https://www.penguin.com/publishers/puffin/
Borrowed from the Buffalo & Erie County Public Library
CeCeLibrarian’s Book Blog 
This is a great reminder of how far we have come but we have so much farther to go. I think this would be a good book for any library.
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