Love is Loud: How Diane Nash led the Civil Rights Movement. Written by Sandra Neil Wallace

Love Is Loud: How Diane Nash Led the Civil Rights Movement          

Written by Sandra Neil Wallace;
Illustrated by Caldecott Honor Recipient Bryan Collier.
A Paula Wiseman Book. Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers. 2023

“Hating people is not the solution to human problems.” Diane Nash

Sandra Neil Wallace has penned an inspiring tribute to Civil Rights activist, Diane Nash. Born in 1932 in Chicago’s South Side, Nash’s life was filled with so much love.  Her parents want her to grow up in the North rather than the segregated South. 

In high school, Nash reads books that show segregation, but since her high school includes everyone - A rainbow of colors - segregation does not touch her.

Nash’s awakening comes when she attends Fisk University in Nashville. “Your Nashville friends take you to the fair, where the air is filled with sticky, sugar smells of cotton candy. And suddenly you see it up close, between roller coasters roiling and corn-dog fryers bubble-boiling— Two signs for bathrooms: WHITE and COLORED.”

Diane Nash was one of the most influential and effective leaders of the Civil Rights Movement. Her name is not well-known. According to Wallace in her Author’s Note, “Black women activists faced both racial and gender discrimination. This gender bias also found its way into the movement.” Diane Nash led major campaigns: Nashville’s lunch counter sit-ins, integrating interstate bus travel with the Freedom Riders, and securing voting rights for Black Americans in the South with the passing of the Voting Rights Act. 

Four-time Caldecott Honor winner, Bryan Collier, illustrates this powerful picture book biography. Rendered in watercolor and collage, Collier’s art is powerful. 

Well-researched, this picture book biography includes an author’s note, illustrator’s note, timeline, bibliography, quote sources, and a selected bibliography. 
The message of standing up for what you believe with LOVE and RESPECT makes this the perfect book to share with students of all ages, especially those in middle and high school.