“Combining the mind of a scientist, the dedication of a civil rights activist, and the compassion of an advocate for children, Dr. Clark was an unstoppable force!”
The histories of influential women, especially Black women, often go untold. Mamie Phipps Clark, Champion for Children (Magination Press, February 2024, ISBN: 978-1433830488) by Lynnette Mawhinney is the third book in the American Psychological Association’s Extraordinary Women in Psychology series, which aims to bring their stories into the spotlight. This inspiring graphic novel tells the story of groundbreaking psychologist and civil rights activist Dr. Mamie Phipps Clark and her research on the racial identity and development of self in Black children. Her work played a vital role in the landmark Brown v. Board of Education case that would desegregate U.S. schools.
Mamie was born and raised in Hot Springs, Arkansas, during a time when U.S. laws intentionally disadvantaged Black people and permitted racial segregation. Dr. Clark’s time growing up in the U.S. South was supported by a warm and nurturing Black community, but there was one hard, pivotal moment that changed everything for her. When a Hot Springs resident named Gilbert Harris was lynched, the community was outraged and outspoken about the atrocity. Mamie’s eyes were opened to the injustices, discriminations, and unfair treatment that her community faced. From then on, she began to ask herself, “I wonder what I can do? I wonder how I can help?”
With rich and engaging illustrations, Mamie Phipps Clark, Champion for Children shows how she became an unstoppable force to champion for Black children. She was the first Black woman to graduate from Columbia University with a doctorate degree in psychology, where she began her research on the development of self-image in Black children that eventually became the famous Black-doll/White-doll experiments. These tests exposed the negative effects of racial segregation in childhood development and became pivotal in the fight to end segregation of schools in the U.S.
Mamie Phipps Clark, Champion for Children is a hopeful biography that opens an important conversation about race, identity, and history for a middle-grade audience. Filled with interesting news stories and thought-provoking activities, Mamie Phipps Clark, Champion for Children encourages readers to carry on Mamie’s legacy and become champions for themselves and others in their community.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Lynnette Mawhinney, PhD, is Professor of Urban Education at Rutgers University-Newark and affiliated faculty in Africana Studies. She helps to prepare future urban teachers for the classroom, and her academic research focuses on retention and recruitment of teachers of color and diversity, equity, and inclusion practices in K-12 urban schools. She is an award-winning author and scholar of seven books. Her first children’s book, Lulu The One and Only, received a starred review from Kirkus. She lives in New Jersey.
Mamie Phipps Clark: Champion for Children
By Lynnette Mawhinney
Illustrated by Neil Evans
Magination Press
Publication Date: February 6th, 2024
ISBN: 978-1433830488 | Hardcover
Price: $18.99 | Pages: 144