Writing Toward Justice

Meet Alice Dunnigan, a pioneering Black journalist, who spoke truth to power—and earned the respect of President Harry S. Truman. This inspiring nonfiction picture book for kids ages 7–10 is from award-winning author and illustrator Peggy Thomas and Tonya Engel.

Alice Dunnigan knew all about injustice—she was the daughter of poor Black sharecroppers in Kentucky. But Alice also knew the key to fighting injustice was to speak out.

At 13 years old, she wrote to a Black newspaper asking for a job—and got it! It was only the beginning. After many years of hard work as a teacher, a cleaner, a typist, and a journalist, Alice became the first Black woman in the Capitol Press Corp. But one person was still beyond her grasp, a person who needed to be held accountable: President Truman. Would he keep his promise to support civil rights for Black Americans? By scrimping and saving for a ticket on the president’s cross-country train tour, Alice was able to meet the president and win him over to her cause: justice.

Alice Dunnigan used her words as a moving force, writing America toward justice, a journey beautifully captured by author Peggy Thomas and illustrator Tonya Engel.