January 18, 2012 New Library Publication Highlights Civil Rights Struggle

Contact: Audrey Fischer, Library of Congress (202) 707-0022 | Laura Mihalick, Abrams Books (212) 229-7110

“Miles to Go for Freedom: Segregation and Civil Rights in the Jim Crow Era” by Linda B. Osborne has been published by the Library of Congress and Abrams Books.

“Miles to Go for Freedom” tells the story of African-American young people and their families who lived through the “Jim Crow” years, when “separate but equal” laws supported discrimination against African Americans. The book spans the period beginning with legislation separating white and black people in the 1890s, through the Supreme Court decision in Plessy v. Ferguson condoning “separate but equal” public accommodations, and ending with the landmark case of Brown v. Board of Education, when the Supreme Court ruled racial segregation unconstitutional.

Drawing on the Library’s collection of photographs, interviews with people who lived the period and other primary sources, the book conveys the day-today experiences of black Americans across the country. The book chronicles the fight for opportunity and justice by individuals and organizations, such as the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE), whose papers are housed in the Library of Congress. A timeline, bibliography, photographs, notes and an index help readers of all ages learn more about this critical period in American history.

“Miles to Go for Freedom” is a companion to Osborne’s critically acclaimed “Traveling the Freedom Road: From Slavery and the Civil War Through Reconstruction,” published in 2009 by the Library in association with Abrams Books.

Osborne is the author of several books for children and adults on African-American history. She was formerly a senior writer and editor in the Library’s Publishing Office.

“Miles to Go for Freedom,” a 128-page hardback book with 90 color and black & white images, is available for $24.95 from the Library of Congress Shop (www.loc.gov/shop/) or by calling (888) 682-3557. It is also available in bookstores nationwide and online.

Founded in 1800, the Library of Congress is the nation’s oldest federal cultural institution. The Library seeks to spark imagination and creativity and to further human understanding and wisdom by providing access to knowledge through its magnificent collections, programs and exhibitions. Many of the Library’s rich resources can be accessed through its website at www.loc.gov.

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PR 12-012
2012-01-18
ISSN 0731-3527