About the book
In this innovative study, Crystal Sanders explores how working-class black women, in collaboration with the federal government, created the Child Development Group of Mississippi (CDGM) in 1965, a Head Start program that not only gave poor black children access to early childhood education but also provided black women with greater opportunities for political activism during a crucial time in the unfolding of the civil rights movement. Women who had previously worked as domestics and sharecroppers secured jobs through CDGM as teachers and support staff and earned higher wages. The availability of jobs independent of the local white power structure afforded these women the freedom to vote in elections and petition officials without fear of reprisal. But CDGM’s success antagonized segregationists at both the local and state levels who eventually defunded it.
Tracing the stories of the more than 2,500 women who staffed Mississippi’s CDGM preschool centers, Sanders’s book remembers women who went beyond teaching children their shapes and colors to challenge the state’s closed political system and white supremacist ideology and offers a profound example for future community organizing in the South.
Editions of A Chance for Change
- Paperback
- ISBN 9781469627809
- EBook
- ISBN 9781469627823
- EBook
- ISBN 9798890849199
- EBook
- ISBN 9781469627816
- PDF
- ISBN 9798890849182
Read an Excerpt
In this innovative study, Crystal Sanders explores how working-class black women, in collaboration with the federal government, created the Child Development Group of Mississippi (CDGM) in 1965, a Head Start program that not only gave poor black children access to early childhood education but also provided black women with greater opportunities for political activism during a crucial time in the unfolding of the civil rights movement. Women who had previously worked as domestics and sharecroppers secured jobs through CDGM as teachers and support staff and earned higher wages. The availability of jobs independent of the local white power structure afforded these women the freedom to vote in elections and petition officials without fear of reprisal. But CDGM’s success antagonized segregationists at both the local and state levels who eventually defunded it.
Tracing the stories of the more than 2,500 women who staffed Mississippi’s CDGM preschool centers, Sanders’s book remembers women who went beyond teaching children their shapes and colors to challenge the state’s closed political system and white supremacist ideology and offers a profound example for future community organizing in the South.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is A Chance for Change about?
In this innovative study, Crystal Sanders explores how working-class black women, in collaboration with the federal government, created the Child Development Group of Mississippi (CDGM) in 1965, a Head Start program that not only gave poor black children access to early childhood education but also provided black women with greater opportunities for political activism during a crucial time in the unfolding of the civil rights movement. Women who had previously worked as domestics and sharecroppers secured jobs through CDGM as teachers and support staff and earned higher wages. The availability of jobs independent of the local white power structure afforded these women the freedom to vote in elections and petition officials without fear of reprisal. But CDGM’s success antagonized segregationists at both the local and state levels who eventually defunded it.
Tracing the stories of the more than 2,500 women who staffed Mississippi’s CDGM preschool centers, Sanders’s book remembers women who went beyond teaching children their shapes and colors to challenge the state’s closed political system and white supremacist ideology and offers a profound example for future community organizing in the South.
What core themes, tropes, or subjects are explored in A Chance for Change?
Society and Social Sciences > Society and culture: general > Social groups, communities and identities > Ethnic studies / Ethnicity
Where can I read a sample of A Chance for Change?
You can read an official preview of the few pages here https://www.book2look.com/book/9781469627809
How long is A Chance for Change and how many pages does it have?
A Chance for Change has 266 page(s)
Is A Chance for Change part of a series, and can it be read as a standalone?
Yes it is a part of series The John Hope Franklin Series in African American History and Culture
Who is/are the Author/s of the book A Chance for Change?
Crystal R. Sanders
What are the ISBN numbers for the physical and digital editions?
A Chance for Change is available as paperback(ISBN 9781469627809) and ebook(ISBN 9781469627823) and ebook(ISBN 9798890849199) and ebook(ISBN 9781469627816) and pdf(ISBN 9798890849182)
Where can I buy A Chance for Change online or support local independent bookshops?
You can buy A Chance for Change from below
Where can I buy A Chance for Change?