Civil Rights: Biographies of the Milwaukee NAACP Youth Council/Commandoes from the 1960s

About the Book

In this book, Biographies of the Milwaukee NAACP Youth Council/Commandoes from the 1960s, the author, a founding member of the Milwaukee 1960s NAACP Youth Council established in 1964, has researched and compiled personal information about eighteen notable individuals who dedicated themselves to eradicating racial discrimination in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Sixty years ago, thousands of residents in Milwaukee marched for equal rights, seeking to join and actively participate in local organizations, access adequate educational resources for their children, and live wherever they chose. This book honors Father James E. Groppi and the Milwaukee NAACP Youth Council/Commandos from the 1960s, who risked their lives to impact the fight for equity in Milwaukee's history.

About the Author

(Dr. Shirley R. (Berry) Butler Derge holding her book, Asante Sana, “Thank You” Father James E. Groppi, 2017) Dr. Shirley R. (Berry) Butler Derge has enjoyed a distinguished twenty-five-year career as a teacher, author, lecturer, and publisher. Her notable achievements include receiving the Most Outstanding Teacher of the Year Award from Wisconsin Bell/Ameritech, the Most Outstanding High School Teacher of the Year Award from the Metropolitan Milwaukee Alliance of Black School Educators (MMABSE), and the Black Excellence Award for Teaching from the Milwaukee Times and Channel 6. With her warm personality and great sense of humor, Dr. Derge uniquely recognizes her students’ inner talents and inspires a lifelong passion for learning. She has authored numerous innovative curriculum textbooks, urban class plays, and collections of ethnic poetry. Dr. Shirley R. (Berry) Butler Derge holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Education and a Master of Arts in Exceptional Education, both from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. She also earned her Doctoral Degree in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of Sarasota. Additionally, she is the founder and former principal of The Nzingha Institute of Creative Learning and Living, an urban high school in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.