Rise Up! the Art of Protest - Hardcover

Rippon, Jo

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1623541506 ISBN 13: 9781623541507

Publisher: Charlesbridge Publishing, 2020

Synopsis

Celebrate the right to resist!

This nonfiction middle grade read celebrates the right to fight for what we believe, promotes peaceful protests, and encourages young people to become active particpants in our world.

Human rights belong to every single one of us, but they are often under threat. Developed in collaboration with Amnesty International, Rise Up! encourages young people to engage in peaceful protest and stand up for freedom. Striking color photographs of protest posters celebrate the ongoing fight for gender equality, civil rights, LGBTQ rights, refugee and immigrant rights, peace, and the environment.

Includes a powerful foreword by Mari Copeny, also known as "Little Miss Flint", who fights not only for the kids of Flint in the quest for clean water, but also advocates for kids of all ages to embrace their power and their voices.

About this title

About the Author

Jo Rippon is a writer and editor of books for adults on music and art. She lives in London with her husband and children.

In 2016 eight-year-old Mari Copeny wrote a letter to President Barack Obama about the Flint water crisis. President Obama responded to Mari's letter and visited the city. Thanks in part to Mari's efforts, the federal government granted $100 million to Flint to upgrade its water system. Today Mari "Little Miss Flint" Copeny continues to raise awareness of Flint's struggle to recover from the water crisis. She has also raised more than $450,000 to help the city's children.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Foreword

Activism. Most kids have no idea what this word means. I had no idea what it meant, even when what I was doing was activism. But now activism is a part of who I am. It’s a part of who we are as a society. When we see an injustice in the world and stand up and speak out to change it, that’s activism. 

Youth activists have been at the forefront of many movements. From Black Lives Matter to the fight against climate change, kids today are stepping up and speaking out because we know that the world is ours, too. If we don’t help fix the mess that people are making now, it will be way harder for us to fix it in the future. 

Today’s youth are more connected and more aware of what’s going on around us than ever before. We’re able to coordinate with others from across the country and build platforms to bring change to the world. 

No more sitting around and waiting for the adults to fix things. No more letting our elected politicians make decisions about our lives. It’s time for us to speak up for ourselves because it’s our present, and our future, that are at stake. 

—Mari Copeny 

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In 2014 officials in Flint, Michigan, switched the city’s water source from Lake Huron to the Flint River. The improperly treated river water ate away at pipes, causing dangerous chemicals to leach into the water. Thousands of children were exposed to dangerously high levels of lead. 

In 2016 eight-year-old Mari Copeny wrote a letter to President Barack Obama about the Flint water crisis. President Obama responded to Mari’s letter and visited the city. Mari told him, “You know, I wrote to you!” The president replied, “I know! That’s why I decided to come.” Thanks in part to Mari’s efforts, the federal government granted $100 million to Flint to upgrade its water system. 

Today Mari “Little Miss Flint” Copeny continues to raise awareness of Flint’s struggle to recover from the water crisis. She has also raised more than $500,000 to help the city’s children.

Edition details

• Publisher: Charlesbridge Publishing
• Publication date: 2020
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1623541506
• ISBN 13: 9781623541507
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 64