Hispanic Heritage Month Highlight: Willie Velásquez, Champion for Voting Rights

In celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month, we are sharing the story of Willie Velásquez, the charismatic Mexican American grassroots activist who worked to ensure equal voting rights for Latinos in the United States while also galvanizing Latinos towards participating in the U.S. political process at the local, statewide, and national levels.

Learn more about Willie Velásquez on Hidden Voices
Black and white photograph of Willie Velasquez giving a speech in front of orange background next to text reading '¡Su voto es su voz!'

What We're Reading

September 17 is National Voter Registration Day! New voters who are at least 16 years of age (who will be eligible to vote once they turn 18) can register to vote at vote.nyc—where you can also find information about important dates and deadlines, check your registration status, and more. For the upcoming election on November 5, 2024, New York voters must be registered by October 26.

For our younger students, we’re sharing books that will get future voters excited to participate in our democracy, learn about the history of suffrage, and find out about the ways that they can make their voice heard, even before they are able to cast their ballots! We hope you enjoy them as much as we do. 

Early Readers (3K–Grade 2)

  • Lillian’s Right to Vote, by Jonah Winter; illustrated by Shane W. Evans
  • Miss Paul and the President: The Creative Campaign for Women’s Right to Vote, by Dean Robbins; illustrated by Nancy Zhang
  • The President of the Jungle, by Andre Rodrigues, Larissa Ribeiro, Paula Desgualdo, Pedro Markun
  • V is for Voting, by Kate Farrell; illustrated by Caitlin Kuhwald
  • Vote for Our Future, by Margaret McNamara; illustrated by Micah Player 

Elementary (Grades 3–5)

  • Evicted!: The Struggle for the Right to Vote, by Alice Faye Duncan; illustrated by Charly Palmer
  • Finish the Fight: The Brave and Revolutionary Women Who Fought for the Right to Vote, by Veronica Chambers and the Saff of the New York Times
  • For Which We Stand: How Our Government Works and Why it Matters, by Jeff Foster; illustrated by Julie McLaughlin
  • How Women Won the Vote: Alice Paul, Lucy Burns, and Their Big Idea, by Susan Campbell Bartoletti; illustrated by Ziyue Chen
  • When You Grow Up to Vote: How Our Government Works for YOU, by Elenor Roosevelt with Michelle Markel; illustrated by Grace Lin

Middle School (Grades 6–8)

  • Drawing the Vote: A Graphic Novel History for Future Voters, by Tommy Jenkins; illustrated by Kati Lacker
  • Lifting As We Climb: Black Women’s Battle for the Ballot Box, by Evette Dionne
  • The Woman’s Hour: Our Fight for the Right to Vote (Adapted for Young Readers), by Elaine Weiss
  • This is Our Constitution: What It Is and Why it Matters, by Khizr Khan
  • You Call This Democracy? by Elizabeth Rusch

Upper Grades (Grades 9–12)

  • Because They Marched: The People’s Campaign for Voting Rights that Changed America, by Russell Freedman
  • One Person, No Vote: How Not All Voters Are Treated Equally (A Young Adult Adaptation), by Carol Anderson and Tonya Bolden
  • Stolen Justice: The Struggle for African American Voting Rights, by Lawrence Goldstone
  • Votes for Women! American Suffragists and the Battle for the Ballot, by Winifred Conkling
  • Votes of Confidence: A Young Person’s Guide to American Elections, by Jeff Fleischer 
Image of two students reading.

You can find these books and many more great reads on Sora, our Citywide Digital Library, which provides free access to thousands of digital e-books and audiobooks for our students, including those in the Civics for Civics for All collection. 

Missed our previous book recommendations?
Check them out in the "What We're Reading" Archive!

SPOTLIGHT ON OUR SCHOOLS

It's a celebration! Join the party with a glimpse into some our favorite moments from our favorite day of the year as New York City Public Schools welcomes students, staff, and families back to the classroom -- ready to dream big, work hard, and rise together.