A Gifted Group

When author Jamia Wilson and illustrator Andrea Pippins were asked to work on a book about black heroes, they knew exactly whom they wanted to include. The result is Young, Gifted, and Black: Meet 52 Black Heroes from Past and Present. The book features well-known figures such as Harriet Tubman. And it includes some whose names are less familiar, like Maurice Ashley. He is the world’s first African-American chess grandmaster. “I want the next generation to see people who look like themselves in a positive light,” Wilson told TFK. She and Pippins hope to do more books that spotlight iconic × iconic CHAIWAT CHANTANANUKUL—GETTY IMAGES widely recognized or respected (adjective) The Statue of Liberty is an iconic symbol of New York City. people of color. “I would love to focus on black artists,” Pippins says. “I hope this book inspires children to believe they can achieve anything they want.”