Book Launch for Former NAWJ District 4 Director Claudia Barber

BOOK LAUNCH: A Journey of Sacrifice and Determination

Former NAWJ District 4 Director Claudia Barber, has co-authored a children’s book entitled “A Journey of Sacrifice and Determination.”  This children's book tells the true story of an African American family's determination to provide their children with classical piano lessons at the finest musical institution in Baltimore, Maryland, the Peabody Institute of Music. In the 1960s and 1970s, the African American student population at Peabody Preparatory Institute was a mere five percent.  Marilyn and Claudia Barber were in that number. Claudia Barber was one of the first African American graduates of the Peabody Preparatory Institute of Music in 1976. That year, she attended on a full scholarship. She was also awarded the Best Poetic Pianist of the Year award.  Peabody Preparatory Institute Director Lynn Taylor Hebden presented the award.

The book further shares their monthly Woolworth lunch counter experiences in downtown Baltimore. Schools were barely integrated in the 60s. Major department stores, such as The Hecht Company, Stewarts, Hochschild Kohns, and Hutzlers, were part of the fabric of downtown Baltimore along Howard Street in the 60s and 70s.

The book shares the history of Baltimore and one of its major music institutions.

For more information, visit the website: https://www.sacrificeanddeterminationmusic.com

The authors are the recent recipients of the Coretta Scott King Award in April 2026. The award was presented by the Caucus of African American Leaders and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. award Committee.