Interview with Carole Boston Weatherford & Rob Sanders, Authors of “A Song for the Unsung”

For both: Right now in America (in some places at least), we are experiencing something revolutionary in education: the push to revise our history curricula to more accurately reflect the contributions of people from marginalized communities. While this shouldn’t be a revolutionary act, doing so stands up in the face of the status quo; it challenges those who would fight to continue suppressing certain voices and stories. What does it feel like to be contributing to of our nation’s history? 

Carole: My writing reflects my activism. My mission is to mine the past for family stories, fading traditions and forgotten struggles and heroes such as Bayard Rustin. My books center African-American resistance, resilience, rejoicing, remembrance and remarkability. I aim to nudge young people toward justice.

Rob: When asked why I write about “controversial” issues, I always reply: “I write about history. History is not controversial. Not teaching history, or not teaching it accurately, IS controversial.” My writing—whether fiction or nonfiction—explores acceptance, belonging, finding your place, overcoming obstacles and injustice, and being your authentic self. Of course, much of my nonfiction also focuses on untold or under-told stories of the LGBTQIA+ community. I’m committed to keep on keeping on when it comes to writing nonfiction children’s books. What does it feel like to do this work? It feels right. It feels like what I’m supposed to be doing.

For both: The images and illustrations in the book are powerful, and support the words and the story in a beautiful way. What is something you love or appreciate about the illustrations in A Song for the Unsung?

Carole: I love Byron’s collage work, especially how he integrated primary sources such as newspapers and sheet music.

Rob: I love the layers of Byron’s work. In kindergarten and first grade children are taught to read the text and the illustrations. Byron’s work allows children to be able to read the story alone, read the illustrations alone, or read the two as they intermingle on the page. Through primary source document in his collages, Byron brings even more facts to the page then the text itself.

For both: Can you tell us about the process of writing this book together? How did your writing experiences and strengths complement one another’s?

Carole: Rob conceived the project and enlisted me to collaborate. We married our concerns for civil rights and LGBTQ+ rights to introduce Bayard Rustin to young readers. Rob had a deeper knowledge of the man and I brought a love for the music that Bayard sang and that was the soundtrack of the Civil Rights Movement. In a series of in-person and virtual meetings, we collaborated to draft the manuscript.

Rob: Carole and I had been discussing the idea of working collaboratively and had explored a few ideas. We finally settled on Bayard. We were both teaching at the Highlights Foundation a few summers ago and sat on the porch of a cabin a couple of evenings and began to “talk out” this story. We typed into a laptop our thoughts. Once we were home, we Zoomed together a few times where we actually wrote and revised together on the spot. It was a process that worked well for us. (As a matter of fact, we’ve completed another collaboration!)

For Rob: You are an educator as well as a writer. Have you used A Song for the Unsung with students? If so, what are some meaningful reflections that have come up as a result? If not, how would you go about introducing it to a class, and what conversations do you hope to spark? 

Rob: I’m a retired elementary school teacher, having taken early retirement at the end of 2020. What I would love to do with A Song for the Unsung is to create a text set of wonderful books that explore the various aspects of the March of Washington. To allow children to dive into those various parts of the actual events would give them a more complete and deeper understanding of that historic day. Some books I would choose for my text set include:

As Good as Anybody: Martin Luther King Jr. and Abraham Joshua Heschel’s Amazing March Toward Freedom (Michelson/Colon), Martin & Mahalia: His Words, Her Song (Pinkney/Pinkney), I Have a Dream: Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. (Nelson), and A Song for the Unsung.

For Carole: You have written many, many nonfiction books highlighting the contributions of Black historical figures (and those who are living today). How do you choose who, and what, to write about? What sparks the inspiration to write about someone in particular?

Carole: My choices reflect my interests. I write about biographical subjects who model my own values and priorities and will inspire young people to interrogate injustice, speak truth to power and persevere despite adversity.