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Writing Toward Justice

The Life and Reporting of Alice A. Dunnigan

Author Peggy Thomas
Illustrated by Tonya Engel
Ebook
Astra Publishing House | Calkins Creek
10"W x 10"H
On sale Jan 27, 2026 | 40 Pages | 9781662680908
Grades 2-5
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Meet Alice Dunnigan, a pioneering Black journalist, who spoke truth to power—and earned the respect of President Harry S. Truman.

An inspiring nonfiction picture book for kids ages 7–10 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.
Peggy Thomas is the author of Farmer George Plants a Nation, an award-winning history and science picture book biography of George Washington, as well as more than a dozen other books for children. She lives in Middleport, New York. Visit peggythomaswrites.com. View titles by Peggy Thomas
Tonya Engel is an award-winning artist and Illustrator of more than 30 children’s books, many of which feature Black women in history. Her titles include Because Claudette by Tracey Baptiste, Hidden Figures: The True Story of Four Black Women and the Space Race by Margot Lee Shetterly, Rise! From Cages Bird to Poet of the People, Maya Angelou by Bethany Hegedus, A Voice Named Aretha by Katheryn Russell-Brown, Ida B. Wells, Voice of Truth by Michelle Duster, and many others. In addition to children’s books, Tonya’s art can be found on prints, greeting cards, and textiles. Visit tonyaengel.com. View titles by Tonya Engel
"A thoughtful account of Alice Dunnigan (1906-1983), the first Black female journalist to receive Capitol press credentials. Growing up in Kentucky, the daughter of a sharecropper, young Alice railed against injustice such as segregation, but upon realizing that no one could 'care about something they didn’t know was going on', she vowed to fight through the written word. In clear, passionate language, Thomas follows Alice’s journey from child writer to educator to poorly paid but resolute reporter... A timely reminder about the power of words."--Kirkus Reviews

About

Meet Alice Dunnigan, a pioneering Black journalist, who spoke truth to power—and earned the respect of President Harry S. Truman.

An inspiring nonfiction picture book for kids ages 7–10 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.

Author

Peggy Thomas is the author of Farmer George Plants a Nation, an award-winning history and science picture book biography of George Washington, as well as more than a dozen other books for children. She lives in Middleport, New York. Visit peggythomaswrites.com. View titles by Peggy Thomas
Tonya Engel is an award-winning artist and Illustrator of more than 30 children’s books, many of which feature Black women in history. Her titles include Because Claudette by Tracey Baptiste, Hidden Figures: The True Story of Four Black Women and the Space Race by Margot Lee Shetterly, Rise! From Cages Bird to Poet of the People, Maya Angelou by Bethany Hegedus, A Voice Named Aretha by Katheryn Russell-Brown, Ida B. Wells, Voice of Truth by Michelle Duster, and many others. In addition to children’s books, Tonya’s art can be found on prints, greeting cards, and textiles. Visit tonyaengel.com. View titles by Tonya Engel

Praise

"A thoughtful account of Alice Dunnigan (1906-1983), the first Black female journalist to receive Capitol press credentials. Growing up in Kentucky, the daughter of a sharecropper, young Alice railed against injustice such as segregation, but upon realizing that no one could 'care about something they didn’t know was going on', she vowed to fight through the written word. In clear, passionate language, Thomas follows Alice’s journey from child writer to educator to poorly paid but resolute reporter... A timely reminder about the power of words."--Kirkus Reviews

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