Writing Toward Justice: The Life and Reporting of Alice A. Dunnigan

By Peggy Thomas

Meet Alice Dunnigan, a pioneering Black journalist, who spoke truth to power--and earned the respect of President Harry S. Truman. This inspiring nonfiction picture book for kids ages 7-10 is 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.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1662680899
• ISBN13: 9781662680892
• Release Date: January 2026
• Publisher: Calkins Creek Books
• Length: 40 Pages
• Weight: 1.05 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.4" x 10.3" x 10.2"
• Age Range: 7 to 10 years
• Grade Range: Grades 2 to 5