Fly Free, Always: Images of Black Freedom in Children’s Books

As a young child, I was fascinated with flying.  No, that’s not right. It is truer to write that I was fascinated with images of people flying and the freedom afforded to them. I found my heart soaring with seeing Black folks cut away from the cruelties and dangers that only found them in this lifetime.  I was a child who devoured nearly any book that I could get my hands on. I am ever grateful that my mother first and foremost, before any teacher or librarian, made sure to gently push books created by Black creatives that centered Black people to me and my reading piles. I never felt like I couldn’t be the hero of my own story. I could always find a book with someone who looked like me from my picturing books to chapter books to novels and beyond. Two books that stay on my mind when I think of these visuals that showcased Black liberation and freedom on the page were two faves by Black women: Faith Ringgold and Virginia Hamilton. Historical Folkore in The People Who Could Fly

Written by Literary Sage Virginia Hamilton, Illustrated by Leo and Diane Dillion, Published in 1985, Distributed through Knopf, Distributed by Random House

I have a BIG love for fairytales and folklore that originated in my childhood. Hearing and reading adaptations and retellings still hold my interest after all these years. When I was fairly young, The People Who Could Fly by Storyteller Supreme/Beloved Griot Virginia Hamilton with illustrations by the ever talented husband and wife team Leo a…