Young, Gifted and Black | Meet 52 Black Heroes from Past and Present

Meet 52 icons of color from the past and present in this celebration of inspirational achievementa collection of stories about changemakers to encourage, inspire, and empower the next generation of changemakers. Jamia Wilson has carefully curated this range of black icons and the book is stylishly brought together by Andrea Pippins colorful and celebratory illustrations.

Overview

Written in the spirit of Nina Simones song To Be Young, Gifted, and Black, this vibrant book is a perfect introduction to both historic and present-day icons and heroes. Meet figureheads, leaders, and pioneers such as Martin Luther King Jr., Nelson Mandela, and Rosa Parks, as well as cultural trailblazers and athletes like Stevie Wonder, Oprah Winfrey, and Serena Williams.

All children deserve to see themselves represented positively in the books they read. Highlighting the talent and contributions of black leaders and changemakers from around the world, readers of all backgrounds will be empowered to discover what they too can achieve. Strong, courageous, talented, and diverse, these extraordinary men and women’s achievements will inspire a new generation to chase their dreamwhatever it may be.

The 52 icons: Mary Seacole, Matthew Henson, Ava Duvernay, Bessie Coleman, Barack Obama, Michelle Obama, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Cathy Freeman, George Washington Carver, Malorie Blackman, Harriet Tubman, Mo Farah, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Jesse Owens, Beyonce Knowles, Solange Knowles, Katherine Johnson, Josephine Baker, Kofi Annan, Langston Hughes, Toni Morrison, Brian Lara, Madam C.J. Walker, Yannick Noah, Maurice Ashley, Alexandre Duma, Martin Luther King, Jr., Maya Angelou, Nina Simone, Simone Biles, Stevie Wonder, Esperanza Spalding, Sidney Poitier, Oprah Winfrey, Pele, Nelson Mandela, Louis Armstrong, Rosa Parks, Naomi Campbell, Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, Muhammad Ali, Shirley Chisholm, Steve McQueen, Zadie Smith, Usain Bolt, Wangari Maathai, Mae Jemison, W.E.B. Du Bois, Nicola Adams, Serena Williams, Venus Williams, and Misty Copeland.

If you like this book, check out Step Into Your Power by the same author-illustrator team.

Reviews

…to be revisited again and againThe candy-colored pages and straightforward stories are hard to resist The New York Times

…diverse collection of iconic figuresvibrantly illustratedbeautifully crafted volume Kirkus Reviews, Starred Review

exuberantexquisitely designeda launching point for more discoveries. School Library Journal, Starred Review

A luminous and diverse tribute to black movers and shakers across the centuries. Publishers Weekly

About the Author:

Jamia Wilson is the executive director and publisher of the Feminist Press. An activist and writer, Wilson has contributed to New York Magazine, The New York Times, The Today Show, CNN, BBC, Teen Vogue, Elle, Refinery 29, Rookie and The Guardian. She is the author of Young Gifted and Black, Step Into Your Power, and Big Ideas for Young Thinkers; a co-author of Road Map for Revolutionaries; and wrote the introduction and oral history to Together We Rise: Behind the Scenes at the Protest Heard Around the World.

Andrea Pippins is an illustrator, designer, and author who has a passion for creating images that reflect what she wants to see in art, media, and pop culture. Her vision is to empower people of color with tools and inspiration to create and tell their own stories. She is the best-selling creator of the coloring book I Love My Hair and the interactive journal Becoming Me. Her clients include O: The Oprah Magazine, Scoop Magazine, Family Circle, The Huffington Post, Bustle, Free People, Lincoln Center, and the National Museum of African American History and Culture. Andrea is based in Stockholm, Sweden.

Size: 23.5 x 27.6 cm
Format: Paperback / softback, 64 Pages
Reading Age:7 -10 years