Indigo Austin

Case Study Paper

Carole Boston Weatherford

Short Biographical Sketch

The New York Times best-selling author, Carole Boston Weatherford, is one of the leading

poets writing for young people today. She believes that poetry makes music with words. And she

“mines the past for family stories, fading traditions and forgotten struggles”. Her work includes

poetry, nonfiction, biography and historical fiction.

For career achievements, Carole received the Ragan-Rubin Award from North Carolina

English Teachers Association and the North Carolina Literature Award, among the state’s

highest civilian honors. She holds an M.A. in publications design from University of Baltimore

and an M.F.A. in creative writing from University of North Carolina, Greensboro. She has two

adult children and lives in North Carolina, where she is a Professor of English at Fayetteville

State University.

The Writer as a Poet

Carole Boston Weatherford is a standout poet. She writes sensitively, but with a powerful swing;

with both heart and hammer, her books are always a pleasure and an awakening. She does the

brave and important work of keeping a piece of the past in the immediate present.

–Esme Raji Codell, planetesme.blogspot.com

Weatherford’s literary mission is to “mine the past for family stories, fading traditions and

forgotten struggles”. Thus many of her poems are historic in nature. She specifically chooses to

discuss topics pertaining to Black culture and Black traditions. In many of her poetry and prose,
Indigo Austin
Case Study Paper
Carole Boston Weatherford

she explores African-American history from a children's perspective and relate the past to new

generations. Her works are often inspired by true events, many of which took place in the areas

where Weatherford has lived. In her Author's Notes for each book, she includes a portion of her

historical research, from which her fiction or poetry emerged. In describing her purpose for

writing to the School Library Journal, she says, "I want the books that I write that are set during

the Jim Crow era and the Civil Rights era to nudge today's kids toward justice. We've gone a

long way, but we still have a long way to go."

Birmingham 1963 is a poetic tribute to the victims of the racially motivated church bombing

that served as a seminal event in the struggle for civil rights- written by Weatherford of course.

In 1963, Birmingham, Alabama was a major city involved in the civil rights movement.

Birmingham was one of the most segregated cities in the United States. Civil rights

demonstrators were attacked by police dogs and water cannons. On Sunday, September 15, 1963,

members of the Ku Klux Klan planted sticks of dynamite at the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church,

which served as a meeting place for civil rights organizers. The explosion killed four little girls.

Their murders shocked the nation and turned the tide in the struggle for equality. Weatherford’s

book won a Jane Addams Children's Honor. Her writing truly captures the heartbreak of that day,

as seen through the eyes of a fictional witness. Carole prefers to write about true events from a

fictional view. Carole also enjoy writing about some of the greatest influencers in Black History.

Those influencers may be well known or may be those that are not spoke of as much as they

ought to be.
Indigo Austin
Case Study Paper
Carole Boston Weatherford

For example, in ​Becoming Billie Holiday​, Carole tells about the musician’s career through a

sequence of raw and poignant poems. The author examines the singer's young life, her fight for

survival, and the dream she pursued with passion in this Coretta Scott King Author Honor

winner. With stunning art by Floyd Cooper, this book provides a revealing look at a cultural

icon. Carole was inspired by Billie Holiday’s famous career and her (often forgotten) impact on

Jazz Music as we know it. Carole essentially wanted to give young readers the chance to learn

about Billie Holiday through her poems. Thus, she wrote about Billie Holiday- though at first she

thought young readers would not know who Holiday was. She eventually realized that many

young readers were in fact familiar with Billie Holiday. Even still today, Carole’s book

Becoming Billie Holiday​, is a good poem to use to introduce young readers to Billie Holiday.

The Author’s Perspective

Carole would agree that she yearns for the voices of Blacks to be heard. She wants the

problems surrounding black culture to be talked about and brought up in a creative and reachable

way. Thanks to authors like Carole, young black readers have resources to refer to when

addressing issues in the black community and culture.

Carole would agree that her books can be talked about in English classes, history classes, and

even sociology classes. Carole would also say that though her work is mostly poetry and fiction,
Indigo Austin
Case Study Paper
Carole Boston Weatherford

the content is based heavily on issues in Black history, that are also still relevant in today’s

society.

Lastly Carole would agree that she is an inspiration to young black writers. Surprisingly,

many young black scholars are often not taught about Black history in public school curriculum-

unless it is an AP or Honors course. Black authors are underrepresented in the curriculum, so it is

always a good idea to incorporate a successful Black author like Carole Boston Weatherford.