Poet-activist Useni Eugene Perkins and Coretta Scott King Honor winner Laura Freeman team up to share the story of Ghana’s independence
(West Orange,
NJ) September 9, 2021 – Continuing its focus on stories that celebrate freedom,
leading independent children’s book publisher Just Us Books will publish Kwame Nkrumah's Midnight Speech for
Independence by Useni
Eugene Perkins, illustrated by Laura Freeman. The picture book will be released
in hardcover on Kwame Nkrumah’s birthday, September 21.
With prose by renowned poet-activist Perkins and illustrations by Coretta Scott King Honor winner Freeman, Kwame Nkrumah’s Midnight Speech for Independence captures the magic of the night Ghana was declared a free nation and shares the remarkable life of Kwame Nkrumah — one of Africa’s most celebrated leaders.
ABOUT THE BOOK
Kwame Nkrumah's Midnight Speech for Independence
Written by Useni
Eugene Perkins, illustrated by Laura Freeman, published by Just Us Books
ISBN 978-0-940975-86-6, $17.99, hardcover, ages 4-8
On a humid March night in 1957, Kwame Nkrumah made history. While thousands of people cheered, including dignitaries from round the world, he announced his country's independence. After many years of British rule, Ghana, formerly the Gold Coast, became the first sub-Saharan African nation to break free from colonial rule.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Useni Eugene Perkins is a multi-faceted
writer and activist who was a prominent voice in the Black Arts Movement. His
writings for young people include Home is a Dirty Street: The Social
Oppression of Black Children, Rise of the Phoenix: Voices from
Chicago’s Black Struggle, 1960 to 1975 (Third World Press), Poetry
from the Masters: Black Arts Movement (Just Us Books), and the
celebrated picture book, Hey Black Child (Little Brown)
illustrated by Bryan Collier. In 1999 he was inducted into the Gwendolyn Brooks
Literary Hall of Fame. In 2003, Useni was featured in HistoryMakers.com, a
digital archive dedicated to preserving histories of African Americans. He has
travelled to Ghana many times and in 2007 was inducted into the Gefia Society
in Akatsi, Volta Region, Ghana and installed as their Academic Development
Chief under the stool name of Torgbui Perkins Agbale I. Learn more about Useni at https://Blackchildjournal.com
ABOUT THE ILLUSTRATOR
Laura Freeman is the award-winning illustrator
of over 30 picture books for children including Hidden Figures: The
True Story of Four Black Women and the Space Race by Margot Lee
Shetterly (Harper Collins), Kamala Harris Rooted in Justice by
Nikki Grimes (Atheneaum) and Dream Builders: The Story of Architect
Philip Freelon by Kelly Starling Lyons (Lee and Low Books). She also
illustrated six titles in the I Love to series (Marimba
Books). A graduate of the School of Visual Arts in New York City, Laura has
been awarded the Coretta Scott King Illustrator Honor and the NAACP Image Award
for her work. She lives in Atlanta, GA with her husband and their two children.
Visit her at https://LFreemanArt.com
ABOUT THE PUBLISHER
Just Us Books is an independent, Black-owned
publisher of children’s books that celebrate the diversity of Black people,
history, and culture. Founded in 1988 by husband-and-wife team, Wade and Cheryl
Hudson, its titles range from board books for infants to novels for young
adults and have helped the company win numerous awards for its contributions to
publishing, including Small Business Pioneer of the Year and the Children’s
Book Council Diversity Outstanding Achievement Award. In more than 32 years of
operation, Just Us Books has become an institution in children’s publishing and
remains one of the nation's few Black-owned presses. Just Us Books titles can
be purchased wherever books are sold and through its web site: www.justusbooks.com
Connect with Just Us Books on social @JustUsBooks across platforms.
Digital review galleys of Kwame Nkrumah's Midnight Speech for Independence are available upon request. Email: katura_hudson@justusbooks.com
