"White Around", the price of education for all

It is a story that marks. Stéphane Fert and Wilfrid Lupano plunge us into Connecticut in the early 1830s to tell us the story of the Canterbury Female School. It starts with a school already considered somewhat strange: Prudence Crandall teaches young girls. A little strange (what can it bring them to do their tasks better?), but all in all harmless. However, Prudence will make a decision that will stir the whole city: welcome young girls… Black. Let us remember: at that time, even black people born on American soil, even if they had never been slaves, were still not considered American citizens. The separation between blacks and whites is well marked, and questioned only by abolitionist activists, far, far from being unanimous. In this context, many challenges will arise for Prudence and her students: Maria, Sarah, Julia, Eliza, Gloriana… and others. Racism and all its violence, physical, psychological and systemic, is of course omnipresent, and underlines all the more the mutual aid, courage and thirst to learn and live a peaceful life of the protagonists. Sisterhood is present, students linked by their desire for education support each other and form a common front with their teacher, well obliged to be able to continue going to school. In this book, the story takes us on board and the drawing transports us. As usual, Stéphane Fert's line is magnificent, and serves wonderfully the point made by Wilfrid Lupano. The colors are splendid, and make a bitter sweet atmosphere contrasting with the harshness of the events told, softening the story. Overall, the object itself is beautiful. It is very appreciable to follow not only the teacher Prudence, and her fight to keep her school open, but also the experience and struggle of her students, taking full force the violent rejection of an entire community, ganged up against a small group of young girls. The story is characterized by a female point of view, and moreover of the first concerned, which is not so common. One can only recommend reading the endnotes to complete the story. Not only do you receive additional background information and resources on the topic, but you also learn what has become of the women at the centre of the story. So run to bookstores as soon as this book comes out (at Dargaud) to devour this story of strong women and girls, and learn more about this edifying story.