The authors of Seven Sisters and a Brother have speaking engagements planned at the 2019 Miami Book Fair, a book launch moderated by NYTimes columnist Brent Staples at the Ford Foundation in NYC, as well as several anniversary events tied in to the sit-in planned at Swarthmore, and a book launch in Miami. The authors are also being interviewed by South Florida media in anticipation of their Miami appearances. Awaiting endorsements from Dr. Henry Louis Gates (Harvard University, PBS’s Finding Your Roots and Reconstruction) and Dr. Johnetta Cole (anthropologist, former Director of the Smithsonian Museum of African Art, first female African American president of Spelman College). Authors will use their networks as alumni or former educators at Swarthmore, Columbia, Harvard, John Jay School of Criminal Justice and Morehouse to garner speaking engagements and get the word out about the book.  Seven Sisters and a Brother illuminates the institutional failures of an elite liberal arts college in the 1960s and the work of a dedicated group of Black students to change the culture and policies of their school. Theirs is a story of the power of collective action, the value of shared identity, and the thrill of progress. Framed by a national culture of activism during the time, their accounts beautifully reflect the changes brought by the Civil Rights Movement and Black activism across the country.

The Story Behind an Unsung Event in the Civil Rights Movement

“Over eight days, eight students sparked change that defined their lives, changed an institution and fueled a movement that continues today.” ─Alberto Ibargüen, President and CEO of the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation and former publisher of The Miami Herald and El Nuevo Herald

#1 New Release in 1960s History of the U.S. and 2020 Finalist Sarton Women's Literary Award for Nonfiction with Special Recognition

Fighting injustice and racism. This narrative tells the story of seven women and one man at the heart of a black power sit-in protesting decreased enrollment and hiring of African Americans at Swarthmore College, and demanding an African American Studies curriculum. The book, written by the former students themselves, includes autobiographical chapters providing a view into the lives of young people during the Civil Rights era.

Correcting media representation. For years the media and some in the school community portrayed the peaceful protest in a negative light―this collective narrative provides a very necessary and overdue retelling of the revolution that took place at Swarthmore College in 1969. The group of eight student protestors only recently have begun to receive credit for the school’s greater inclusiveness, as well as the influence their actions had on universities around the country.

The incredible true civil rights movement story in Seven Sisters and a Brother teaches us key lessons:

• Old established institutions can change and will continue to change
• The struggle to give Black history, Black experiences, and Black lives a well earned place in our culture is winnable
• Truth can prevail when we unite with others and refuse to accept surrender

If you’ve read Warriors Don’t Cry, Between the World and Me, Pulse of Perseverance, Barack Obama’s A Promised Land, or Cicely Tyson’s Just as I Am; then you’ll love Seven Sisters and a Brother.