Emma Gelders Sterne facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Emma Gelders Sterne
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Sterne in 1912
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| Born | May 13, 1894 Birmingham, Alabama, US |
| Died | August 29, 1971 (aged 77) San Jose, California, US |
| Occupation | Author |
| Relatives | Joseph Gelders (brother) Blanche Hartman (niece) Marge Frantz (niece) |
Emma Gelders Sterne (born May 13, 1894 – died August 29, 1971) was an American writer. She wrote many books for children. Her stories often focused on history and important events.
Emma was born in Alabama. She cared deeply about fairness and equal rights. She supported women's right to vote and racial equality. These important ideas often appeared in her books.
About Emma's Life
Emma Gelders Sterne was born in Birmingham, Alabama. Her birthday was May 13, 1894. Her parents were Louis Gelders and Blanche Loeb. Her family had a German-Jewish background.
She grew up near Red Mountain. Her younger brother, Joseph Gelders, became a physicist and activist. Emma loved to write from a young age. She wrote for her high school and college magazines. She graduated from Smith College in 1916.
After college, Emma returned to Birmingham. She joined the women's suffrage movement. This movement worked for women to gain the right to vote. She also started a school for children who needed help. Emma wrote a newspaper column about topics important to women.
Emma once said she had never met an educated Black person growing up. She had not heard of notable Black men or women. This changed in 1913. She was in college and heard a speech by W. E. B. Du Bois. This speech was a very important moment for her.
In 1917, Emma married Roy M. Sterne, a lawyer. They had two daughters, Ann and Barbara. The family moved to New York. Emma continued to study writing. She took classes at Columbia University and the New School for Social Research.
She joined groups like the ACLU and the NAACP. These groups work to protect people's rights. She also joined the Democratic party. Emma became a "left-liberal New Dealer." In 1950, she joined the Congress of Racial Equality. This group worked for civil rights.
Emma Gelders Sterne passed away in San Jose, California. She died on August 29, 1971.
Emma's Writing Career
Emma Sterne sold her first story in May 1923. She quickly wrote two books for a popular series. She kept writing for her whole life. Her main focus was history and children's books.
She often combined these interests. She wrote historical stories for kids. For example, she retold the legends of King Arthur. She also wrote a biography called Amarantha Gay, M.D.. Another famous book was Long Black Schooner: The Voyage of the Amistad. This book was about a ship and slavery.
Emma wrote 44 books in total. Many of her books focused on social justice. She wrote about Native American history and slavery. She cared deeply about the civil rights movement. Many of her books were written with this movement in mind.
Besides writing, Emma was also a school teacher. She edited elementary textbooks. In the 1940s, she became an editor for children's books.
She also used different names for some books. In 1954 and 1955, she wrote two picture books. These books retold Native American legends. She published them under the name Emily Broun. From 1959 to 1966, she wrote with her younger daughter, Barbara Lindsay. They wrote the Kathy Martin series of young adult novels. These books were about a nurse and a detective. They published them using the name Josephine James.
