Individual Author Record
Illinois Connection
Hartfield is a life long resident of Chicago. She attended Chicago public schools and received her her law degree from the University of Chicago.
Biographical and Professional Information
Hartfield is an attorney and an author. She received her B.A from Yale University and her law degree from the University of Chicago. As a lawyer, she has specialized in school desegregation litigation. More recently, she has been involved in setting policy and creating programs in a charter school setting on Chicago's African-American West Side.Part of the impetus for the writing of her book, ''Me and Uncle Romie,'' is a historical fiction picture book based on the life and art of world-renowned collage artist, Romare Bearden. She wanted to inform children about an important African-American visual artist, and to give them an expanded understanding of the breadth of the African-American experience. The story also explores the commonality of experience that is shared by people across cultures.Her book, ''A Few Red Drops'', is about the Chicago Race Riot. She heard stories of the 1919 race riot from her grandmother, who lived in the Black Belt in Chicago at the time, and was moved to share this history with younger generations.
Published Works 
- Me and Uncle Romie, Dial Books, 2002
- A Few Red Drops, Clarion, 2018
Titles At Your Library
Awards
Me and Uncle Romie
Notable Book of the Year, Smithsonian Magazine Junior Library Guild Choice 100 Books for Reading and Sharing List, New York Public Library
Speaking Engagements
Speaking Engagement Availability (Yes) Please contact Author.
