Unlawful Orders: A Portrait of Dr. James B. Williams, Tuskegee Airman, Surgeon, and Activist (Scholastic Focus)

by Barbara Binns

Overview

Barbara Binns presents the inspiring story of one man in his struggle for racial equality in the field of battle and the field of medicine.

Scholastic Focus is the premier home of thoroughly researched, beautifully written, and thoughtfully designed works of narrative nonfiction aimed at middle-grade and young adult readers. These books help readers learn about the world in which they live and develop their critical thinking skills so that they may become dynamic citizens who are able to analyze and understand our past, participate in essential discussions about our present, and work to grow and build our future.

The Tuskegee Airmen heroically fought for the right to be officers of the US military so that they might participate in World War II by flying overseas to help defeat fascism. However, after winning that battle, they faced their next great challenge at Freeman Field, Iowa, where racist white officers barred them from entering the prestigious Officers' Club that their rank promised them. The Freeman Field Mutiny, as it became known, would eventually lead to the desegregation of the US armed forces, forever changing the course of American history and race relations.

One Black officer who refused to give in to the bigotry at Freeman Field was James Buchanan "JB" Williams. JB grew up the son of sharecroppers, but his loving family and insuppressible intellect drove him to push boundaries placed on Black Americans in the early twentieth century. JB's devotion to the betterment of others took him from the classroom where he learned to be a doctor, to serving as a medic in the US military and eventually joining the elite Tuskegee Airmen, where he fought to change the minds of all who believed Black men couldn't make good soldiers. But JB's greatest contribution came in his role as doctor and Civil Rights activist after the war, where he continued to push past injustices placed on Black Americans.

Critically acclaimed author Barbara Binns tells the story of one man's remarkable life, and in doing so, explores the trials of the brave Black freedom fighters who defended the world against racism and bigotry, both on the front lines and at home.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781338754261
Publisher:	Scholastic, Inc.
Publication date:	10/18/2022
Pages:	320
Sales rank:	249,041
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.30(h) x 1.20(d)
Lexile:	1090L (what's this?)
Age Range:	9 - 12 Years

About the Author

Barbara Binns is an African American author of contemporary, multicultural stories. She was born and raised on Chicago’s south side. She writes to attract and inspire readers with stories of “real boys growing into real men…and the people who love them.”

Her books for middle grade and young adult readers include Pull, Being God, and Courage. Her writing has won an Oregon 2010 Readers Choice award and was chosen for the 2012 YALSA Quick Picks for Reluctant Readers list. In addition to writing, she volunteers with groups from students to senior citizens, and gives lectures and workshops to both experienced and aspiring authors.As the eldest of five children, Barbara learned responsibility at an early age. Her eclectic career path includes work as a clinical chemist at the University of Chicago Hospitals, as a computer analyst for AT&T, and now as an author for her readers. She finds writing for young people an exercise in self-discipline and the perfect follow-up to her life as an adoptive parent and cancer survivor. She lives and writes in a suburb of Chicago. You can find Barbara on Twitter at @barbarabinns, Facebook at @allthecolorsoflove, or on her website at babinns.com.

Table of Contents

Introduction ix

Chapter 1 Meet JB Williams 1

Chapter 2 World War I 10

Chapter 3 The Red Summer of 1919 30

Chapter 4 Starting a New Life 53

Chapter 5 Separate but Equal: Plessy v. Ferguson 67

Chapter 6 Growing Up JB 79

Chapter 7 Double V for Victory 92

Chapter 8 Eleanor Roosevelt 104

Chapter 9 Lieutenant Davis 114

Chapter 10 Bombardiers 133

Chapter 11 Freeman Field 140

Chapter 12 Mutiny 151

Chapter 13 The 101 Club 163

Chapter 14 War's End 176

Chapter 15 The War for Health Care 198

Chapter 16 The National Medical Association 216

Chapter 17 Medical Practice 235

Chapter 18 Mutiny's Final Acts 246

Chapter 19 Legacy 254

Afterword: History of Black Medicine 265

Bibliography 273

Additional Resources for Your Enjoyment 283

Source Notes 285

Photograph and Illustration Credits 299

Acknowledgments 303

About the Author 305

Editorial Reviews

11/01/2022

Gr 5 Up—Binns provides an in-depth look at the life and legacy of Dr. James B. Williams, whose tireless efforts helped integrate the military and medicine. Binns begins by recounting segregation with a focus on the military, the First World War, and the horrors of the Red Summer of 1919. Williams became a member of the Medical Corps in 1942 and then later a pilot, ultimately joining the Tuskegee Airmen. As a Black officer, he was denied entry into the Officers' Club and led protests to integrate it. Widely recognized as a major step towards integrating the military, the protests became known as the Freeman Field Mutiny. After the war, Williams worked as a doctor in Chicago. Segregation in medicine led to denial of care and death for many Black Americans; since these racist policies carried over to the American Medical Association, Williams became active in the National Medical Association (which did not have race or gender requirements for membership) and continued to fight segregation. His work led him to the office of President Kennedy as part of the lobbying for what became the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which denied funding to hospitals that practiced segregation and ultimately forced many facilities to desegregate. While the text is lengthy, readers will be rewarded by Binns's fluid and absorbing writing. Includes numerous photographs and extensive back matter. VERDICT Strongly recommended for middle school students as it fills a significant gap in YA nonfiction covering the critical fight to integrate the military and medicine.—Karen T. Bilton

School Library Journal

2022-08-17
An account of a Black doctor and veteran whose principled actions helped change America.

James Buchanan Williams, JB to his friends, was a Black doctor and Tuskegee Airman born in 1919. His mother, Clara Belle, was the daughter of formerly enslaved sharecroppers, and his father, Jasper, was a co-founder of the El Paso chapter of the NAACP, something that made him a target for the Ku Klux Klan. Williams was among many Black men who served in the U.S. military during World War II but were denied financial benefits as well as dignity and basic respect. Along with other Black officers, he participated in the Freeman Field Mutiny, refusing to sign a paper consenting to abide by segregation at the Freeman Field base in Indiana, an important step toward the eventual integration of the armed forces. As a pioneering surgeon, Williams went on to play a role in the civil rights movement. He and his brothers, who also became doctors and established their own clinic, were active in the National Medical Association, which was founded to advocate for inclusivity in response to the American Medical Association’s racist practices. Binns tells Williams’ story succinctly and with respect and admiration. The book includes context about the broader social movements of the times and is enhanced by photographs and documents that bring the time period to life for readers.

An eye-opening look at the courage, dedication, and perseverance of an activist for racial equality. (afterword, bibliography, additional resources, source notes, photo and illustration credits) (Nonfiction. 10-14)

Kirkus Reviews