This reflective story by poet Ntozake Shange looks back at the great Black thinkers and innovators who visited her father's house. "A close-knit group of Black innovators formed their own community in the early to mid-twentieth century. These men of vision lived at a time when the color of their skin dictated where they could live, what schools they could attend, and even where they could sit on a bus or in a movie theater.Yet in the face of this tremendous adversity, these dedicated souls and others like them not only demonstrated the importance of Black culture in America, but also helped issue in a movement that changed the world. Their lives and their works inspire us to this day and serve as a guide to how we approach the challenges of tomorrow." KADIR NELSON illustrated two Caldecott Honor Books: Moses and Libre : Le long voyage d'Henri. Ellington Was Not a Street by Ntozake Shange won the Coretta Scott King Award. Will Smith's Just The Two of Us won an NAACP Image Award, and his new book, We Are The Ship continues to garner major awards. Nelson showed artistic talent at age three and began working in oils by age sixteen. Kadir Nelson lives in Los Angeles.
