By D. Kevin McNeir
Special to the AFRO
History is full of amazing Black scientists whose lives and accomplishments have routinely been ignored and forgotten because of their race and gender. But being overlooked doesn’t mean they have not had a profound impact on the world because of their talent, imagination and courage. In fact, their stories represent not only tales of personal triumph but also confirm the impact that an openness to diversity can have in propelling scientific discovery and progress to new heights.
To shed light on the lives of great but lesser-known Black scientists and innovators, award-winning author Tonya Bolden and illustrator David Wilkerson have collaborated and recently published “Black Lives: Great Minds of Science.”
This fun and accessible graphic novel for middle grade readers serves as a kid-friendly introduction to some of the greatest scientists in history – Black men and women who were doctors, engineers, mathematicians and biologists.
While each of them faced challenges, they refused to give up or back down, rising to the top of their professions and making significant contributions along the way.
Bolden, who began her career writing book reviews for Black Enterprise before working on “how to” books for clients, like “how to start a business at home,” or “how to get into the mail order business,” said this time she wanted to try something different.
“I wanted to introduce young readers to professions and fields that you wouldn’t normally connect to Black people,” she said. “As I began my research, it occurred to me that while we all know about George Washington Carver, we may not know that there were and are Blacks who have made their mark in the world as marine biologists, robotics engineers and ornithologists. That made working on this book particularly exciting.”
Bolden added that she also wanted to illustrate the variety of experiences and backgrounds that helped shape the lives and dreams of those featured in “Great Minds of Science.”
“In the end, I really found myself assuming the role of a teacher,” she said. “But first, I had a lot of homework to do because I am not what you’d call a science person. I began to look at different eras within the last several hundred years as well as the different socio-economic backgrounds of Black scientists of the past and I was amazed.
“In the book, we feature an inventor, Frederick Jones, who was born into poverty in Kentucky in 1893 and became an orphan at a young age. But in 1961, the year he died, Jones, who would become the father of refrigerated transportation and later dubbed ‘The King of Cool,’ sold his company, Thermo Control (renamed Thermo King), which produced refrigeration units that he invented, to Westinghouse Electric Company for about $35 million. Still, as he never applied for patents for his earliest inventions, he never made a dime on them and others were able to use them for free. His story represents the kinds of accomplishments I wanted to salute and share with young readers,” Bolden said.
Wilkerson, the only child of parents from South Georgia and Waterloo, Iowa, said he first became interested in art and illustration during his years in elementary school. Now living in Largo, Md. in Prince George’s County, he said he had to work hard to develop his craft.
“I wish I had been naturally talented but I really wasn’t,” he said. “I put about six years into formal training including studying animation as a college undergrad and then completing my master’s degree so I could teach. As for this book, I think it represents some of my strongest work – it was certainly challenging,” Wilkerson said.
Contributing illustrations for a graphic novel required Wilkerson to read the manuscript numerous times until he could imagine each of the nine scientists featured in the book in everyday situations – situations common to the work they did.
“This is the first in a series of books and I think it’s going to be well-received,” he said. “In terms of the layout, I guess reading about science, especially if you’re a child, can be rather boring. So, my job was to grab the attention of our readers – to find the best fit for the words and the drawings.
“I’ve done 11 or 12 children’s projects in the past but this is my first graphic novel. To be clear, I once had a day job as a construction worker and did illustrations as a freelancer in the evenings. There were roadblocks and for a while, I bounced from place to place and from couch to couch. But if you want it badly enough, you adjust, You learn how to be diligent. You consistently put time into your craft. Some of my friends have yet to see their dreams come true. Fortunately for me, I am seeing years of hard work and patience begin to pay off,” Wilkerson said.
The book will be the highlight of an upcoming event in Baltimore. Bolden will be featured at the Enoch Pratt Free Library’s Cherry Hill Branch on Thursday, Oct. 30, from 4 to 5 p.m.
See the link below for more information.
https://calendar.prattlibrary.org/event/tonya-bolden-great-minds-of-science-black-lives-1
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