Bøger af Jennifer Marino Walters

Born in Washington, DC, in 1970, and raised in Miami, Florida, Ketanji Brown Jackson developed an interest in law at an early age. While in grade school, she sat with her father and watched him complete his law school assignments. And though some people, including a school guidance counselor, discouraged Ketanji from aiming high, she proved them wrong and graduated with honors from Harvard Law School after being named in high school as Most Likely to Succeed. She went on to make history by becoming the first Black woman to be confirmed to the United States Supreme Court in 2022.

John Lewis was a Black American civil rights activist and one of the original Big Six leaders of the nonviolent movement along with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. He said his hero was Rosa Parks, who told him it was okay to get into "good trouble" in fighting for justice and equal rights. Lewis took her advice all the way to the US Congress.

Will Rogers was the most famous American entertainer, writer, and actor of the early 1900s. He was best known for making fun of politics and the US government. His humor endures, with today's politicians in Washington, DC, admiring his sharp wit.

Jim Thorpe, an Oklahoma-born Native American, played pro baseball in New York, Cincinnati, and Boston, but he was an even better football player. In the 1912 Olympic Games, he won gold medals in the decathlon and pentathlon events, showcasing his exceptional athletic talents.

Jackie Robinson broke barriers as the first African American to play baseball in the modern major leagues. Today there are many great Black players in the MLB, but this pioneering moment in 1947 marked a significant milestone, opening doors for generations of Black athletes to come.

Ellen Ochoa was selected by NASA in 1990 to join its astronaut program, and she became the first Hispanic female astronaut when she completed her training in 1991. Two years later, she flew on the space shuttle Discovery, becoming the first Latina to be launched into space. Ochoa continued breaking barriers at NASA for women and for Hispanics.

Rosa Parks was a Black American civil rights activist whose refusal to give up her seat on a public bus became the spark that started the civil rights movement in the United States. Rosa's brave and heroic acts led to desegregation on public transportation, reshaping history.

Helen Keller was an American author and educator who was blind and deaf. Even though she could not see or hear like most people, she finished college and became a powerful writer and speaker on behalf of those with similar disabilities. Her achievements knew no bounds.