Stand Up!

Stand Up! is a picture book by Brittney C. Cooper, a professor, activist and cultural critic, and it is her first title for younger readers. It profiles ten Black women, from history and from today, who spoke out and acted on their convictions and changed their communities for the better. Their stories are meant to show children that they, too, have strength and courage and can help bring about change.

The collection includes civil rights figures such as Ruby Bridges and Rosa Parks, along with more recent activists. Bree Newsome, who took the Confederate flag down from the grounds of the South Carolina State House, appears alongside Mari Copeny, a young activist who fought for clean water in Flint, Michigan. Cooper writes about well-known leaders and lesser-known women alike, and each profile is linked by a shared pursuit of equity. The book closes with a call to action, reminding readers that they can stand up for what is right.

Cooper's earlier book Eloquent Rage was chosen by Emma Watson for her Our Shared Shelf book club. Cooper is also a frequent guest on MSNBC, writes for Cosmopolitan.com and Salon.com, and has a TED Talk viewed more than 800,000 times. Stand Up! is the first of seven titles she is publishing with Scholastic, which will range from picture books to middle grade. The book is designed to sit alongside Little Leaders and She Persisted on children's shelves.