We Remember Useni Eugene Perkins

Activist, social worker, poet, scholar, educator, and playwright Useni Eugene Perkins has joined the ancestors at the age of 90. 

“We have known Useni for many years and marveled at his dedication and contributions to the Black community and to Black arts,” said Wade Hudson, president and CEO of Just Us Books. “He was a good brother!”

Just Us Books published two of Useni's works, Poetry From The Masters: The Black Arts Movement in 2009, and Kwame Nkrumah's Midnight Speech for Independence, illustrated by Laura Freeman. His most recent published children’s book, it won the 2022 Children’s Africana Book Awards Best Book for Young Children and was called "Essential reading for any and all future (and current) freedom fighters” in a Kirkus starred review.

A celebrated member of the Black Arts Movement, Useni Eugene Perkins was born in Chicago on September 13, 1932. Following military service, he earned bachelors and masters degrees from George Williams College. He went on to leverage his studies in social work in a career focused on the social development of urban youth, serving as Executive Director of the Better Boys Foundation Family Center in Chicago and in leadership roles with the Urban League of Portland, the DuSable Museum, and Chicago State University Family Life Center.

Useni’s dedication to strengthening his community and his work advocating for youth translated to the written word as well, through books of poetry such as Black is Beautiful and plays including “Image Makers.” In 1975, his poem “Hey Black Child” served as the closing song for his children’s musical “Black Fairy and Other Plays.” Public recitations, including young Pe’Tehn’s viral performance decades later introduced the poem to new audiences, though it was sometimes wrongfully attributed to other greats such as Countee Cullen and Maya Angelou. In 2017, Hey, Black Child was published as a picture book illustrated by Bryan Collier and received a starred review from Kirkus.

“I’m honored that my poem has been associated with these two gifted writers, but I’m glad the world can now learn about the poem’s true roots,” Useni said.

Useni penned many other books including An Apology to My African Brother; Silhouette; Home Is a Dirty Street: The Social Oppression of Black Children; Pride of Race; and Midnight Blues in the Afternoon and Other Poems.

His contributions to literature and the Black community have been recognized with numerous awards, notably induction into the Gwendolyn Brooks Literary Hall of Fame and inclusion in HistoryMakers.com, a digital archive dedicated to preserving histories of African Americans. Useni’s play “If We Must Die,” about the 1921 Tulsa massacre, earned him an award from The Black Network for Excellence in Playwriting in 2002. 

Useni travelled to Ghana extensively, experiences that inspired his picture book on Ghana’s President Kwame Nkrumah years later. In 2007 he 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.

We lift up the memory of Brother Useni, his important work and his commitment to our people, especially our youth. May it continue to inspire us all. 

Kwame Nkrumah's Midnight Speech for Independence Wins 2022 Africana Children's Book Award

On the eve of Ghana’s Independence Day, we’re excited to announce that Kwame Nkrumah’s Midnight Speech for Independence by Useni Eugene Perkins and Laura Freeman was named winner of the 2022 Children’s Africana Book Award - best book for young children. 

The awards are presented annually to the authors and illustrators of the best children’s and young adult books on Africa published or republished in the U.S. 

Africa Access and the Outreach Council of the African Studies Association (ASA) created CABA in 1991 to encourage the publication and use of accurate, balanced children’s materials about Africa. We’re thrilled this beautiful collaboration between Useni and Laura earned this distinction. 

Learn more about the book and buy it here.

New Picture Book from Just Us Books, Kwame Nkrumah's Midnight Speech for Independence, Continues Publisher’s Celebration of Freedom

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.

Kwame Nkrumah's Midnight Speech for Independence follows the spring 2021 publication of Papa’s Free Day Party another freedom story published by Just Us Books. Written by Marilyn Nelson and illustrated by Wayne Anthony Still, it centers on the author’s grandfather, who escaped racist attacks as a child and went on to build a new life in the all-Black town of Boley, Oklahoma. This fall, Just Us Books is also collaborating with Crown Books for Young Readers to release Recognize: An Anthology Honoring and Amplifying Black Life. Edited by Just Us Books founders Wade and Cheryl Hudson, it features award-winning Black authors and artists who’ve come together to create a moving collection that celebrates Black love, Black creativity, Black resistance, and Black life.

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