Walter, Mildred Pitts

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WALTER, Mildred Pitts

Born 9 December 1922, De Ridder, Louisiana

Daughter of Paul and Mary Ward Pitts; married Earl Lloyd Walter, 1947; children: Earl Jr., Craig

Mildred Pitts Walter began writing because she "wanted to know why there were so few books for and about the children I taught who were black." She became an author "out of the need to share with all children the experiences of a people who have a rich and unique way of living that has grown out of the ability to cope and to triumph over racial discrimination."

Raised in Louisiana, Walter has spent her adult life in California and Colorado. After graduating from Louisiana's Southern University with a B.A. in English (1944), Walter accepted a position as a teacher and librarian in the Los Angeles Unified School System, where she taught for many years. She received an M.A. in education from Antioch Extension in Denver (1947) and later (1950-52) attended California State College in Los Angeles. With her husband, a city chairman of the Congress on Racial Equality, Walter worked with the American Civil Liberties Union and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People toward desegregating the Los Angeles schools. She was also a consultant for the Western Interstate Commission of Higher Education and a consultant, teacher, and lecturer in Metro State College. In 1977 Walter served as a delegate to the second World Black and African Festival of the Arts and Culture in Lagos, Nigeria.

In her books, which range from picture format to young-adult novels, Walter sensitively incorporates issues of family, heritage, race relations, and change. She specifically builds her characters around "the dynamics of choice, courage and change." Walter firmly believes that heritage is integral to identity: children must know their family and cultural heritage before they can know themselves.

Although she did not start her writing career until 1969, Walter has written more than a dozen children's books and received numerous awards and honors. In 1987 Justin and the Best Biscuits in the World (1986) won the Coretta Scott King Award, and Because We Are (1983) and Trouble's Child (1985) were Coretta Scott King Honor Books. The nonfiction Mississippi Challenge (1992) relates the history of the African American in Mississippi from slavery through the Civil War and Reconstruction, to the inception of the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party.

Walter has also attempted to raise awareness of the African holiday Kwanzaa through her children's books Have a Happy… (1989) and Kwanzaa: A Family Affair (1995). The latter book is a guide to celebrating the occasion, including information on its origin, vocabulary, related family activities, and ideas for gift-giving. Another recent work is Darkness (1995), geared to the preschool level and addressing the fear of the dark. Despite the occasional awkward phrasing, Walter illustrates the beauty of darkness with symbolic and philosophical descriptions of good things taking place there.

Second Daughter: The Story of a Slave Girl (1996) is a novel based on the true story of Elizabeth "Mum Bett" Freeman, a slave who sued for her freedom in 1781, helping to end slavery in Massachusetts. The book has been praised for its extensive research, although the story gets heavy with historical details and the plot wanders at times. Walter's recent project, The Suitcase (1999), was just published.

Walter's strength in writing for children is her ability to bring life to everyday situations. Children's literature has been enriched through the warmth, sensitivity, love, gentleness, and caring that speak out in her work.

Other Works:

Contribution of Minorities to American Culture (n.d.). Lillie of Watts: A Birthday Discovery (1969). Lillie of Watts Takes a Giant Step (1971). The Liquid Tap (1976). Ty's One-Man Band (1980). The Girl on the Outside (1982). My Mamma Needs Me (1983). Brother to the Wind (1985). Mariah Loves Rock (1988). Little Sister, Big Trouble (1990). Mariah Keeps Cool (1990). Two and Too Much (1990).

Bibliography:

Reference works:

Authors of Books for Young People (1979). Black Authors and Illustrators of Children's Books (1988). CLR (1988). SATA (1986, 1992). Sixth Book of Junior Authors and Illustrators (1989). TCCW (1989).