Young, Gifted and Black

Meet 52 Black Heroes from Past and Present

By: Jamia Wilson

Narrated by: Olivia Forrest, Ako Mitchell

Meet 52 icons of colour from the past and present in this celebration of inspirational achievement – a collection of stories about changemakers to encourage, inspire and empower the next generation of changemakers.

Written in the spirit of Nina Simone’s song “To Be Young, Gifted, and Black,” this vibrant book is a perfect introduction to both historic and present-day icons and heroes. Meet figureheads, leaders and pioneers such as Martin Luther King Jr., Nelson Mandela and Rosa Parks, as well as cultural trailblazers and athletes like Stevie Wonder, Oprah Winfrey and Serena Williams.

All children deserve to see themselves represented positively in the books they read. Highlighting the talent and contributions of black leaders and changemakers from around the world, readers of all backgrounds will be empowered to discover what they too can achieve. 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.

The 52 icons: Mary Seacole, Matthew Henson, Ava Duvernay, Bessie Coleman, Barack Obama, Michelle Obama, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Cathy Freeman, George Washington Carver, Malorie Blackman, Harriet Tubman, Mo Farah, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Jesse Owens, Beyonce Knowles, Solange Knowles, Katherine Johnson, Josephine Baker, Kofi Annan, Langston Hughes, Toni Morrison, Brian Lara, Madam C.J. Walker, Yannick Noah, Maurice Ashley, Alexandre Duma, Martin Luther King, Jr., Maya Angelou, Nina Simone, Simone Biles, Stevie Wonder, Esperanza Spalding, Sidney Poitier, Oprah Winfrey, Pele, Nelson Mandela, Louis Armstrong, Rosa Parks, Naomi Campbell, Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, Muhammad Ali, Shirley Chisholm, Steve McQueen, Zadie Smith, Usain Bolt, Wangari Maathai, Mae Jemison, W.E.B. Du Bois, Nicola Adams, Serena Williams, Venus Williams, and Misty Copeland.

If you like this book, check out Young, Gifted and Black Too, for 52 more inspiring icons! For younger listeners, Baby Young Gifted and Black is perfect to introduce little ones to these trailblazers who changed the world.

©2020 Jamia Wilson (P)2024 Wide Eyed Editions

Critic reviews

“This book is a glorious celebration of 52 black heroes–past and present. It’s such an inviting book–everything about it is big and bold, the pages teem with detail and information. […] “You have to see it to be it” is the driving force of this book–this is what young people of all races need to see.” –Martha Alexander

“...to be revisited again and again...” –The New York Times

“Will be brought down from the bookshelf again and again" –Evening Standard

“Glorious celebration of 52 black heroes...big and bold...this is what young people of all races need to see." –The Independent

“An essential book for inspiring even the tiniest children to face the world with boldness and self-belief.” –The Observer