Doreen Rappaport

In the 1960s, Doreen Rappaport was a teacher in Mississippi. Rappaport’s students changed her life. She describes them as “extraordinary ordinary people” whose courage inspired her. Her students’ heroic struggle for their civil rights encouraged her to write about more “unknown heroes” who helped change history. Rappaport is an award-winning author of several other books, including Escape from Slavery and Freedom River. Today, she lives in New York and travels across the country to visit schools and talk with young people.

Martin Luther King, Jr.

Time magazine named Martin Luther King, Jr., (1929–1968) one of the 100 most important people of the twentieth century. “It is a testament to the greatness of Martin Luther King, Jr., that nearly every major city in the U.S. has a street or school named after him,” wrote reporter Jack White. Throughout his life, King gave speeches, organized boycotts, and led marches. His birthday is a national holiday celebrated throughout the United States.