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CHILDREN'S BOOK
FOLLOW CHESTER!
A College Football Team Fights Racism and Makes History
"We've already won."
Chester Pierce broke racial barriers when, in 1947, he joined his Harvard football team to play against the University of Virginia. At that time, Black people were not allowed to sit at lunch counters, they had to use separate entrances, and they weren’t allowed to play college football against white players.
Chester’s team didn’t care about those laws. Amid dropped jaws, jeering, and booing, Chester played and his teammates followed his lead.
Laura Freeman’s expressive illustrations create an atmosphere of bold moves and a tide of crimson togetherness that could not be stopped.
Based on a true story.
Now on Paperback!
“Duty and Courage are often side by side in a war fighting indifference and cowardice. Children snatched from their families at the border; millions being murdered in the Holocaust; the enslaved kidnapped and killed; segregated and denied. Chester and his team, including Robert Kennedy, fought segregation against the University of Virginia and lost the football game but upheld the Constitution and the Bible that all people are created equal. Good for all of us who are willing to Follow Chester. What a wonderful story to share with all our youngsters.”
—Nikki Giovanni, poet
Kirkus Reviews
It takes tremendous courage to make history. At 8, Chester Pierce saved his younger brother when he fell in a well, becoming a hero in his small New York town. He grew up loving football, basketball, and music. He learned to play multiple instruments and even became the first black senior-class president of his high school. Despite his principal’s doubts, Chester applied to Harvard and was accepted, growing his confidence. While there, Chester played varsity football. In 1947, his team was scheduled to play the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, where Jim Crow forbade Chester to play. But the coach knew a change was coming, so he told Chester to “get ready.” Chester knew “that being the first Black person to do something was never easy” but that the challenge would be worth it. Despite on-campus racism, Chester’s teammates believed Jim Crow laws were wrong. They devised an off-the-field play they called “Follow Chester!” and determined that they would stick with him as a team, bolstering his confidence.
School Library Journal
Chester Pierce developed confidence during his life as he confronted various challenges. A later challenge was resisting discriminatory practices that prevented black players from playing college football in the South. In this partly fictionalized account, readers learn that Chester played for the Harvard University varsity football team. In 1947, the team was scheduled to play against the University of Virginia (UVA). Although the UVA coach expected that Chester would be left behind, the Harvard coach believed Chester deserved to play. Harvard players also supported their teammate, using a play that they called “Follow Chester.” This entailed following Chester’s actions and behavior when faced with the Jim Crow laws of the South. For instance, when Chester encountered a bathroom for “whites only,” the entire team refused to use it, opting instead for the woods. When a restaurant barred black people from using the front entrance, the whole team entered from the back.
Booklist
Chester Pierce, who grew up in a small New York town and became his high school’s first Black senior-class president, later played football on Harvard’s varsity team. In 1947, they boarded a bus for a game at the University of Virginia, a state where Jim Crow laws were in force. To resist discrimination, they agreed on a strategy they called “Follow Chester.” When Chester was allowed to enter a restaurant only through the back door, they all trooped in after him. Chester and his teammates made history by taking a stand together. Where he was denied a hotel room, they all refused to stay. First introducing Chester as a boy, this picture book will easily draw primary-grade children into this story of courage, teamwork, and resisting injustice. The text reads aloud smoothly, and the beautifully composed, richly colored digital illustrations show up well from a distance. While the football angle will appeal to sports fans, this handsome picture book primarily offers young children an accessible introduction to the struggle for civil rights in mid-twentieth-century America.
Follow Chester has been awarded & recognized!
2020 MA Book Awards
Named a “Must-Read,” (longlisted)
2020 Notable Social Studies Trade Books for Young People
Children’s Book Council
2021 Storytelling World Awards
Stories for Pre-Adolescent Listeners
CHILDREN'S BOOK
Robert Churchwell: Writing News, Making History:
A Savannah Green Story
Savannah dislikes being new to Nashville. She feels like her life is a spiraling mess! Needless to say, Savannah is angry. She’s upset at the unexpected loss of her dad, bitter that she had to leave her old school, and feels empty without her friends. Savannah hates the idea of going to Robert Churchwell Elementary. She thinks it is a school she will never learn to love until her mom shares the significance of the man the school is named after Robert Churchwell. Robert Churchwell: Writing News, Making History, Gloria Respress-Churchwell’s stirring American story of Robert Churchwell, her father-in-law, is told through Savannah’s eyes, while Michael McBride’s rich illustrations introduce readers to the amazing man who made history by using his gift of writing.
Ms. Chapman the former Executive Principal reads Robert Churchwell: Writing News, Making History: A Savannah Green Story
Dr. Alvin Poussaint, Professor of Psychiatry, EMERITUS. Harvard Medical School
This book about the life of Robert Churchwell, the pioneering black journalist, is enlightening. Children will learn not only about his life but also about civil rights in the 1950s and 60s. They will appreciate the progress we have made. This story will engage and inspire. I highly recommend it.
nikki giovanni, poet
As long as we continue to tell the stories of our true heroes, the men and women, boys and girls who stood up to segregation as well as poverty; who stared despair down. Who always leaned forward we will continue to be a great people. Robert Churchwell is a wonderful story of one such man. What a pleasure to be able to share his story with our grandchildren.
Beth Curley, FORMER President and CEO, Nashville Public Television
Savannah’s telling of the true story of journalism pioneer Robert Churchwell is a warm and necessary tale. His struggles mirror those of both Savannah and many of us in today’s world, and his inspirational life is a valuable lesson for children.
podcast
Savannah's World
The podcasts are an educational treasure trove that follows the adventures of Savannah Green, a third-grade protagonist. She deals with the everyday ups and downs of elementary school while learning about the stories of unsung heroes who made significant contributions to America and abroad. In each episode, she uncovers a hero and applies the lessons learned to her various situations in and out of school. Through the eyes of Savannah, children not only learn essential life lessons and history but also gain a deeper understanding of the world around them. The award-winning children’s author, Gloria Respress-Churchwell, has curated the music and audio to perfectly complement her books.
