A Poem for Dudley Randall by Don Tate, illustrated by Laura Freeman, celebrates the poet, librarian, and publisher who helped amplify some of the most important voices of the Black Arts Movement.
A Poem for Dudley Randall has been added to my September 2026 – New Release Spotlight list on Amazon.
Author: Don Tate
Illustrator: Laura Freeman
Genre: picture book biography, verse, picture book for older readers
Setting: Detroit, Michigan, USA
Themes: Black history, poetry, writers, Great Migration, Harlem Renaissance, racism, prejudice, writing process, Ku Klux Klan, Black librarians, 1963 bombing of the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church (Birmingham, Alabama), Civil Rights Movement
Protagonist: African American poet Dudley Randall (1914-2000)
Recommended for: K-4
Starred reviews: Kirkus, Booklist, and SLJ
Notes: 2027 Caldecott or Coretta Scott King Award contender?
Publication date: September 15, 2026
WHAT IT’S ABOUT
Dudley Randall began writing poetry at only four years old and published his first poem in the Detroit Free Press at thirteen. Although he continued writing while working as a foundry worker, postal worker, and librarian, publishers repeatedly rejected his work.
That changed after the 1963 bombing of Birmingham’s Sixteenth Street Baptist Church inspired his powerful “Ballad of Birmingham.” Randall initially printed the poem as a broadside—a single sheet sold or distributed publicly. Its success led him to establish Broadside Press in 1965.
WHY IT STANDS OUT
Through Broadside Press, Randall published and championed Black writers such as Gwendolyn Brooks, Nikki Giovanni, Audre Lorde, Sonia Sanchez, and Amiri Baraka.
Tate’s free-verse narrative incorporates several of Randall’s poems while placing his life within the Great Migration, Harlem Renaissance, Civil Rights Movement, and Black Arts Movement.
AWARD CONTENDER?
The illustrations are gorgeous! Freeman’s vibrant, collage-style illustrations layer portraits with newspaper headlines and historical details.
The poem “Ballad of Birmingham” is included, and WOW. It’s an excellent choice for teaching about the Civil Rights Movement and Black History Month. The poem is very sad, but upper-elementary and middle school students will understand it just fine.
Extensive back matter includes additional poems, historical context, information about influential figures, and bibliographical sources. With three starred reviews on top of all that, A Poem for Dudley Randall is an inspiring introduction to a writer who discovered the power of finding one’s voice and using it.
For all these reasons, I’ve added this to my 2027 contender longlist for Caldecott and Coretta Scott King Awards.
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