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This page illustrates a nightmare Jude is having about his time fighting overseas. As he and his fellow Black soldiers navigate the terrain of war, some pieces of paper labeled “G.I. Bill” fall from the sky. Jude reaches for the pieces of paper only to watch them disintegrate in his hands. Jude’s words provide meaning to the nightmare: “...what was
for heroes was not for us.”

Jude’s nightmare is a metaphor for the racial inequities that Black veterans faced when they tried to reap the benefits they were owed. For example, the G.I. Bill, also known as the 1944 Servicemen’s Readjustment Act, was a law that provided veterans with education and housing assistance. Although the act was a federal law, it was implemented at the state level. Some state government administrations chose to make it very difficult or even
impossible for Black veterans to take advantage of the benefits to which they were lawfully entitled.

Jamie’s Decisions follows Jamie, a skilled laborer and formerly enslaved person. He escaped slavery in Virginia and found refuge in Syracuse, New York. His world is shattered when the federal government passes the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 and the U.S. Marshals capture his formerly enslaved friend, Jerry, under the law. Now, Jamie must decide whether to put his own freedom at risk to help the community save Jerry. T

Sophia’s Dream follows a young Chicano student who is fed up with her school system and the lack of opportunities she has to go to college. Sophia eventually joins more than 10,000 students to protest and demand better education from the East L.A. school district. The East L.A. Walkouts were a series of protests and demonstrations organized by Chicano students in Los Angeles in 1968. The students demanded equal educational opportunities and an end to racial discrimination in their schools.

Jane’s Freedom follows Jane, an enslaved woman in 1846 New Orleans, whose wit and quiet defiance make her both a target and a survivor. Haunted by the loss of her son and her master’s punishments, she works the city’s marketplaces, glimpsing both the grind of slavery and hints of possibility. With help from a free Black sailor, Jane plots escape—leveraging her skills in French, sewing, and trading to secure passage on a riverboat.

The unfulfilled promises of Reconstruction and crippling Jim Crow policies delayed social progress in the South so much that Southern Black people felt they had no choice but to move north. Edward and Louise’s Journey follows Edward and Louise as they embark on a life-altering journey from Georgia to Chicago during the First Great Migration. This heartfelt tale vividly portrays the challenges faced by African-American families seeking a better life in the North.

In the early 1960s, a wave of protests in support of farmworkers' and migrant laborers' rights spread across the nation. The Delano Grape Strike sparked by Filipino farm workers brought attention to the plight of farm workers across the country. Gabriel’s Last Harvest tells a story of an elderly Filipino farm worker who decides to join the United Farm Workers’ strike in a last-ditch effort to get retirement and health benefits.

As American soldiers fight for freedom during WWII, a young man in Philadelphia must find a way to keep the peace during a contentious labor struggle. In 1944, Philadelphia was ground zero for a labor strike that defined African Americans’ freedom to participate in the economy. Mark, an NAACP organizer, must navigate a city on edge and do his best to prevent racial tensions from boiling over.

As racial violence sweeps the nation in the early 1900s, the NAACP and other organizations advocate against extrajudicial lynching against numerous African-American citizens. Cecile’s Brother tells the story of a young Black activist who uses her privilege to pass for white to seek justice for her brother’s lynching and help the NAACP campaign for anti-lynching legislation in the U.S.

Adele’s Testimony focuses on the aftermath of the Vicksburg massacre, in which white paramilitary groups aimed to dismantle Reconstruction reforms that granted Black people more political power. When Vicksburg’s first Black sheriff was forcibly removed from office by white supremacists, the local community rallied to peacefully protest only to be ambushed, and 75-300 Black Vicksburg residents were murdered in the streets.

The Carters’ Theatre focuses on the Carter family, a highly successful Black family living in Greenwood, also known as Black Wall Street. Magnus and Antonia own the thriving Carter’s Movie Theatre and are the loving, protective parents of their teenage son, Sammy. Sammy is creative, ambitious, and passionate about his present community and his future in movies. In the heart of Black Wall Street, the Carters’ dreams light up the screen, but will they be able to survive the attack of a violent mob to keep their dreams alive? This story focuses on the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre, when a mob of white Tulsans attacked the wealthy Black community of Greenwood. The Carters’ Theatre highlights the lived experience of growing Black communities in the context of racial violence and injustice. After reading this book, you will know how the Tulsa Race Massacre devastated one of the most prosperous Black communities in the United States, how families like the Carters experienced and resisted racial violence, and how history continues to shape the fight for justice today. https://www.truefiktion.com/store/the-carters-theatre-the-tulsa-race-massacre

TrueFiktion's Fall 2024 Update -

TrueFiktion's Fall 2024 Update I’m happy to share some updates about what’s happening here at TrueFiktion. It’s been an exciting time, and I’m proud of the strides we’ve made together.