MAMIE TAPE FIGHTS TO GO TO SCHOOL: Based on a True Story, by Traci Huahn and Michelle Jing Chan, Crown Books for Young Readers, May 7, 2024, Hardcover, $19.99 (ages 4-8)
Learn the true story of how children of Chinese heritage earned the right to attend public school in Mamie Tape Fights to Go to School, Traci Huahn and Michelle Jing Chan.
Mamie’s mom always reminded her a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. So, when Mamie wanted to go to school, even though Chinese children weren’t allowed, she took her first step and showed up anyway. When she was turned away at the schoolhouse door, she and her parents took another step: they sued the San Francisco school board…and won! Their case Tape v. Hurley made its way up to the California Supreme Court, which ruled that children of Chinese heritage had the right to a free public-school education. But even then, Mamie’s fight wasn’t over.
Mamie Tape Fights to Go to School is the story of one young changemaker’s steps on the long journey to end school segregation in California. It began with a single step. —Synopsis provided by Crown Books for Young Readers
In 1885, the California Supreme Court ruled in Tape v. Turley that all children, including those of Chinese heritage, had the right to a free public-school education in California. It was a victory laced with disappointment for Mamie Tape and her family. Though Mamie could attend school, the state could still segregate her from white students. Still, the ruling changed the lives of thousands of children.
Though some details of Mamie Tape Fights to Go to School are imagined, the steps her family took are true. Author Traci Huahn paged through the original legal documents, read books, journals, government reports and newspaper articles about Mamie’s case. Huahn also interviewed several of Mamie’s living relatives and listened to a recorded interview with Mamie when she was 96.
Huahn took all that information and boiled it down into an engaging first-person narrative that follows the highs and lows Mamie faced. She includes further information in an epilogue and author’s note. Illustrator Michelle Jing Chan adds context through expressive images.
Mamie Tape Fights to Go to School is a fascinating read that will inspire young readers to make change in their own communities.
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