The presentation is open to all ages with an emphasis on accessibility for young people (ages 12-18) and their educators.

Jane Jacobs was born more than a hundred years ago, yet the ideas she popularized — about cities, about people, about creating a more equitable world — remain hugely relevant today. Debut author Rebecca Pitts paints a vivid picture of a headstrong and principled young girl who committed her life to building cities made for, and by, the people who live in them. Refusing the conventional wisdom of the time, Jacobs championed diversity, community, grassroots organizing, and “the life of the street” — and she never backed down, even when it meant going up against the most powerful man in New York, Robert Moses. This is a story about standing up for what you know is right, including a playbook full of real-world takeaways for young activists.

Join us for a presentation and Q&A as Rebecca discusses her book for young readers, published by Seven Stories Press. JANE JACOBS: CHAMPION OF CITIES, CHAMPION OF PEOPLE was shortlisted for the Goddard Riverside CBC Youth Book Prize for Social Justice and earned a starred review from the American Library Association’s review magazine Booklist.

About the author:

Rebecca Pitts writes for and makes things with young people. Her Young Adult biography JANE JACOBS: CHAMPION OF CITIES, CHAMPION OF PEOPLE (Seven Stories Press) was shortlisted for the Goddard Riverside CBC Youth Book Prize for Social Justice and earned a starred review from Booklist. Her print and digital work has appeared in the New York Times for Kids, Teen Vogue, Highlights Magazine, and elsewhere. She runs workshops in the Lower Hudson Valley Rivertowns for young writers and artists, guiding children in visual storytelling in comics, zines, and newspaper-making.

credit: © Arielle Joffe Photograph