Growing up in the Fifth Ward of Houston, Texas, Barbara Jordan stood out.
She may have looked like other kids.
She may have acted like other kids.
But she sure didn’t sound like other kids.
Not with that voice of hers.
That voice.
That big, bold, booming, crisp, clear, confident voice.
It caused folks to sit right up, stand up straight, and take notice.
What do you do with a voice like that?

This month I’m giving away four signed copies of my book What Do You Do with a Voice Like That? The Story of Extraordinary Congresswoman Barbara Jordan to subscribers to my monthly Bartography Express newsletter (folks can sign up here).

There are at least three reasons I’m featuring What Do You Do with a Voice Like That? (illustrated by Ekua Holmes and published by Beach Lane Books/Simon & Schuster) this month:

1) March is Women’s History Month, so it’s a great time not just for this book but also for a host of titles being celebrated by Social Justice Books.

2) After an absence of a few years, What Do You Do with a Voice Like That? will soon return to the lineup of titles that my author-visit hosts can choose from, and now is an ideal time for schools to begin the process of bringing me to their campuses during the 2025-26 year.

3) Biography Clearinghouse has loads of resources for integrating What Do You Do with a Voice Like That? into classrooms and lesson plans. These resources are just as relevant this month as they will be in April or May or next fall for educators who haven’t yet gotten their hands on a copy of the book.

How can you become one of the winners of What Do You Do with a Voice Like That? Either say so in the comments below or contact me directly by the end of this month, and you’ll be in the running. (Subscribers with U.S. mailing addresses only.)

And if you know another reader, family member, educator, or librarian who might appreciate What Do You Do with a Voice Like That? — perhaps someone who could use a reminder of the power of putting our own individual gifts to use — won’t you please let them know, too?

“She put it to public use.” From Chris Barton and Ekua Holmes’ What Do You Do with a Voice Like That?