Praise for She Persisted: Claudette Colvin:"Cline-Ransome brings the teen activist to life with great compassion and impressive brevity . . . A noteworthy start for chapter-book readers wishing to read more about young leaders of the movement." --Kirkus Reviews"A well-balanced and very readable account of Colvin’s family life, her values, and her reasons for resisting unjust laws. . . . an engaging introduction to a young civil rights hero." --Booklist"Cline-Ransome’s narrative provides a knowledgeable, interesting introduction to an ­important player in the civil rights movement." --School Library Journal

Dear Reader,As Sally Ride and Marian Wright Edelman both powerfully said, “You can’t be what you can’t see.” When Sally Ride said that, she meant that it was hard to dream of being an astronaut, like she was, or a doctor or an athlete or anything at all if you didn’t see someone like you who already had lived that dream. She especially was talking about seeing women in jobs that historically were held by men. I wrote the first She Persisted and the books that came after it because I wanted young girls—and children of all genders—to see women who worked hard to live their dreams. And I wanted all of us to see examples of persistence in the face of different challenges to help inspire us in our own lives. I’m so thrilled now to partner with a sisterhood of writers to bring longer, more in-depth versions of these stories of women’s persistence and achievement to readers. I hope you enjoy these chapter books as much as I do and find them inspiring and empowering. And remember: If anyone ever tells you no, if anyone ever says your voice isn’t important or your dreams are too big, remember these women. They persisted and so should you.Warmly,Chelsea ClintonTABLE OF CONTENTSChapter 1: Born Famous Chapter 2: Why Aren’t Black People Treated as Equals? Chapter 3: Why Delphine? Chapter 4: Just Because I’m Black?Chapter 5: What Happens Next?Chapter 6: Who Wouldn’t Cry? How You Can Persist References Chapter 1Born FamousOn September 5, 1939, before Claudette Colvin became Claudette Colvin, her family didn’t know what they would call her. But once they saw her perfectly high cheekbones, they named her after Claudette Colbert, the famed high-cheekboned actress and well-loved beauty.One Claudette was Black and one was white. One Claudette was from Birmingham, Alabama, and one lived in Hollywood, California. But only one Claudette’s brave stand for civil rights would push her into the spotlight by the time she was fifteen years old. And that Claudette was Claudette Colvin.