Young, Gifted and Black Too: Meet 52 More Black Icons from Past and Present

In this timely follow-up to the best-selling, genre-defining Young, Gifted and Black, you can meet 52 more Black icons from around the world - this time spanning even more countries and including inspiring figures from as far back as the 1500s right up to present-day heroes.

Featuring the stories of recent changemakers such as Amanda Gorman and Naomi Osaka, as well as historic talents such as Juan Latino and Yaa Asantewaa, Jamia Wilson has curated a new selection of inspiring black icons illustrated by Andrea Pippins' colorful and celebratory artwork.

Covering 52 figures, the book is ideal for educators and homeschoolers studying Black excellence, with a new figure to explore every week of the year. Biographies are ordered chronologically, and the range of figures showcases an even more global selection in line with the movement towards decolonizing our history and curricula.

The 52 icons: Juan Latino, Queen Nanny, Toussaint Louverture, Chevalier de Saint-Georges, Olaudah Equiano, Alexander Pushkin, Yaa Asantewaa, Moses and Calvin McKissack, Ann Lowe, Albert Luthuli, Charles Drew, Thurgood Marshall, Sister Rosetta Tharpe, George Washington Gibbs Jr., Jackie Robinson, Bertina Lopes, Frantz Fanon, Hans Massaquoi, Coretta Scott King, Mariama Ba, Gladys Mae West, Chinua Achebe, Alvin Ailey, Miriam Makeba, Annie Easley, Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o, Fela Kuti, John Lewis, Aretha Franklin, Angela Davis, Bob Marley, Octavia Butler, Thomas Sankara, Iman, Prince, Ozwald Boateng, Marcus Samuelsson, Leymah Gbowee, Laverne Cox, Phoebe Robinson, Lewis Hamilton, Michaela Coel, Colin Kaepernick, Kadeena Cox, Aisha Dee, Adenike Oladosu, Naomi Osaka, Amanda Gorman, Chloe x Halle, Ntando Mahlangu, Zaila Avant-garde, Mari Copeny.

Strong, courageous, talented, and diverse, these extraordinary men and women's achievements will inspire a new generation to chase their dream ... whatever it may be.

Discover more empowering books by the same author-illustrator team: Baby Young, Gifted, and Black; Young, Gifted and Black; Step into Your Power; Step into My Power and Big Ideas For Young Thinkers.

Author: Jamia Wilson
Publisher: Wide Eyed Editions
Published: 04/04/2023
Pages: 64
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 1.25lbs
Size: 10.50h x 9.80w x 0.70d
ISBN: 9780711277021
Audience: Ages 9-12


Review Citation(s):
School Library Journal 03/01/2023 pg. 98

About the Author

Jamia Wilson joined Random House as an executive editor in 2021, and is the former 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; Baby Young, Gifted, and Black; Step Into Your Power; and Big Ideas for Young Thinkers. She is also 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.