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An ambitious account of the legacies of Plessy and Ferguson, before and beyond the vs.Keith Plessy and Phoebe Ferguson, two New Orleansâbased activists born in the deeply segregated city in 1957, provide an apt framework for Nathan to narrativize centuries of legislation of Black bodies. Plessy's great-grandfather's cousin Homer met Ferguson's great-great-grandfather John in a courtroom in 1892, and Nathan attempts to demystify the eventual Supreme Court case that bears their surnames by explaining in plain language prior laws and legal precedents, the unique complexities of race in antebellum New Orleans, and the shifts that occured after the Civil War and Reconstruction. Minibiographies highlight Plessy forebears alongside activists of the 19th century and political leaders of the mid-20th. The wealth of easy-to-digest information will be useful to middle school researchers, but Nathan is most effective when grounded in the pair's present-day work as friends and collaborators-despite the tumultuous link that greatly impacted their upbringings. Through the founding of the Plessy and Ferguson Foundation and historical markers placed throughout NOLA, the pair attempt to reconcile their shared history and ultimately provide Nathan's work a hopeful, contemporary conclusion despite a good-people-on-both-sides approach to racial injustice that may be off-putting to many.Undeniably timely and representative of the necessary work ahead. (afterword, timeline, about the Plessy and Ferguson Foundation, family trees, historical markers, resources, bibliography, sources, photo credits, index) (Nonfiction. 12-16)
School Library Journal (Mon Mar 01 00:00:00 CST 2021)Gr 7 Up-In this transparent and multi-dimensional account, Nathan astutely examines the historical context and consequences of the Plessy v. Ferguson Supreme Court case of 1896. Past and present are intertwined to provide a reflective space about race in America and the decisive action of advocates who fought and continue to fight for equal civil rights. The text chronicles the events leading to the passing of the Separate Car Act, to Homer Plessy's day in court before Judge John Howard Ferguson in 1892, to the creation of Jim Crow laws resultant of the Supreme Court's 1896 "separate-but-equal" ruling. Readers witness the meeting of Keith Plessy and Phoebe Ferguson, descendants of Homer Plessy and Judge Ferguson, and their shared creation of the Plessy and Ferguson Foundation. Institutional struggles are brought to the foreground as Nathan highlights the foundation's resolve to educate the public and address continued battles against discrimination and white supremacy. Titled sections, photographs, precise resources, and citations are included, allowing the text to clearly depict a chronological history of race relations in New Orleans. Readers will be eager to learn more. Nathan spotlights the pursuit for change and for a better, unified world through the decisions of past figures and the determined efforts of Plessy and Ferguson's present-day descendants. VERDICT Nathan writes an accessible history of the events, individuals, and consequences related to the historic Plessy v. Ferguson case. Rachel Mulligan, Westampton, NJ
Kirkus Reviews
School Library Journal (Mon Mar 01 00:00:00 CST 2021)
An ambitious account of the legacies of Plessy and Ferguson . . . Undeniably timely and representative of the necessary work ahead.-- Kirkus Reviews "Amy Nathan's well-researched and beautifully written book makes clear the history of racism that has kept Black people separate and unequal in U.S. society for so long--and how we today can work to chart a new future. The friendship between Keith Plessy and Phoebe Ferguson, descendants of the antagonists in the infamous Supreme Court decision that cemented racial inequality, Plessy v. Ferguson , demonstrates that ancestry need not be destiny--if we are willing to do the hard work of repair. In Amy Nathan's capable hands, their intertwined histories come alive, demonstrating one of many paths we can purposefully take towards a more equitable society."--Leslie M. Harris, Professor of History, Northwestern University, and author of In the Shadow of Slavery: African Americans in New York City, 1626-1863 Keith Plessy and Phoebe Ferguson were both born in New Orleans in 1957. Sixty-five years earlier, in 1892, a member of each of their families met in a Louisiana courtroom when Judge John Howard Ferguson found Homer Plessy guilty of breaking the law by sitting in a train car for white passengers. The case of Plessy v. Ferguson went all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court, which ruled that "separate-but-equal" was constitutional, sparking decades of unjust laws and discriminatory attitudes. In Together , Amy Nathan threads the personal stories of Keith Plessy and Phoebe Ferguson into the larger history of the Plessy v. Ferguson case, race relations, and civil rights movements in New Orleans and throughout the U.S. She tells the inspiring tale of how Keith and Phoebe came together to change the ending of the story that links their families in history. It's "a flip on the script," said Keith.