SOMETIMES A WRITER comes across a story that simply must be told, and no format other than a book published by a first-rate publisher can do it justice. The fact is, however, that no one creates such a book on his or her own. The writer needs a team of talented professionals. And it helps to have love and support at home.
My husband Blair, no doubt, is the unsung hero of this book. I’m so grateful for all of the times he listened to me, made pots of coffee, fixed my computer, and even tagged along to research institutions when I’m fairly certain he had other things to do.
If not for my close friend and fellow author Audrey Vernick, my research might still be sitting in boxes. Audrey informed me (in the way that only a good friend can) that it was time to stop my never-ending research, turn my hobby into a book, and share it with the world. The idea of writing the book for middle-grade readers (which I had never done) was also Audrey’s.
My literary agent at William Morris Endeavor, Mel Berger, was fascinated from the start by the story of Elizabeth Jennings. His enthusiasm and dedication to the project is deeply appreciated. His assistant, David Hinds, kept tabs on the details in a professional manner. My longtime attorney, John R. Firestone, provided professional advice and personal encouragement, as always.
I’m so grateful that Streetcar to Justice was published by Greenwillow Books/HarperCollins in New York. A writer could not ask for more. Virginia Duncan, my editor, is a visionary. She instinctively knew that this book would be important not just for young readers but teachers, librarians, and parents. She was passionate about the topic and shared my enthusiasm for history and especially for forgotten stories. Her guidance and support throughout the process were hugely important. She was the perfect editor for me and for this project.
Special thanks to Tim Smith, managing editor at Greenwillow; Paul Zakris, art director; Katie Heit, for helping manage the photos and a thousand other details; Christy Hale, for the challenging job of designing the interior of the book; and Cozbi Cabrera, the brilliant artist who created the cover portrait of Elizabeth Jennings.
I’m not sure I would have tackled this book project had I not written the 1993 oral history Having Our Say: The Delany Sisters’ First 100 Years. Sarah L. (Sadie) Delany and A. Elizabeth (Bessie) Delany, ages 102 and 100 when I met them, were the daughters of a man born into slavery and a mother who was mixed race but born free. From the Delany sisters I learned black history in depth and firsthand. The sisters, with whom I became close friends, often shared their hopes and expectations for my future career. Streetcar to Justice is exactly the type of project I believe they would have wanted me to do. I felt their presence every step of the way.
My father, Lee H. Hill Jr., taught me from a young age to love and appreciate history. Sadly, as I was in the final stretch of finishing this book, he died at the age of 92. For the first time in my life I did not feel like writing. My mother, Dorothy S. Hill, who has always set the standard of professionalism for me, insisted that Dad would have wanted me to keep writing. My three older siblings—Lee H. Hill III, Dr. Jonathan D. Hill, and Helen Hill Kotzky—agreed with Mom and helped me maintain my focus. Members of my writing group, the Sisterhood of Atomic Engineers, grieved with me but kept me laughing, too. I am blessed to have all of you in my life.
Professionals who offered generous assistance include Dr. Prithi Kanakamedala, assistant professor in the history department at Bronx Community College of the City University of New York; Dr. Amy Bass, professor of history and director of the honors program at the College of New Rochelle; John C. Carter and Rita Kline, who provided genealogical-research advice; and Miriam Sicherman, New York City public school teacher extraordinaire.
Part of my job was to find images to go with my written text—the newspaper clippings, photographs, engravings, drawings, and paintings that would help bring the story to life. Among the professionals who provided assistance are Susan K. Forbes, Lisa Keys, and Nancy Sherbert at the Kansas State Historical Society; Eleanor Gillers and Robert Delap at the New-York Historical Society; David Rosado and Andrea Felder at the New York Public Library; Kelly Dyson at the Library of Congress; Rebecca Haggerty at the New York Transit Museum; Alla Roylance at the Brooklyn Public Library—Brooklyn Collection; Erin Beasley at the Smithsonian Institution’s National Portrait Gallery; Lauren Robinson at the Museum of the City of New York; and Dana White at the Ossining (New York) Historical Society Museum.
I’d like to think of this book as a testament to the importance of the written word (Elizabeth Jennings’s firsthand account of the assault), the free press (which published her letter and related stories), and, of course, the libraries and historical societies which preserved those stories for all time. Without all three, this book could not have been written.