Unparalleled: Floyd Cooper, A Literary Remembrance

By Carole Boston Weatherford

“There is no greater gift than the truth.”
Floyd Cooper

I credit my two children with introducing me to Floyd Cooper—not the man but the artist. Their grandmother gave them the poetry book Brown Honey in Broomwheat Tea by Joyce Carol Thomas. Floyd’s subjects’ faces glowed with warmth and love. I next encountered his work in Nikki Grimes’s Meet Danitra Brown. Floyd’s realistic illustrations invited my daughter into Danitra’s neighborhood and into her circle of friends.

By Megan Ciskowski, Assistant Publicist

For almost seventy-five years the history behind the Tulsa Race Massacre was undocumented and omitted. Now with the 100th anniversary approaching on May 31st and June 1st, it’s crucial we take time to remember the victims and share their stories with readers of all ages.

The picture book Unspeakable: The Tulsa Race Massacre traces the history of African Americans in Tulsa’s Greenwood district and chronicles the devastation that occurred in 1921 when a white mob attacked the Black community. Celebrated author Carole Boston Weatherford and acclaimed illustrator Floyd Cooper provide a sensitive and powerful introduction to one of the worst incidents of racial violence in our nation’s history.

Continue reading to find numerous resources and articles associated with Unspeakable that you can use to begin discussing the anniversary with your readers. Visit the Unspeakable page on the Lerner website for more information.

By Megan Ciskowski, Assistant Publicist

Check out February new releases from Lerner Publishing Group!

The new picture book from celebrated author Carole Boston Weatherford and the award-winning illustrator Floyd Cooper, Unspeakable: The Tulsa Race Massacre, comes to bookshelves everywhere on February 2nd.

Keep scrolling to watch Carole Boston Weatherford discuss the socio-emotional importance of telling stories like Unspeakable, and mark the calendar with her upcoming events!

By Libby Stille, Publicist

Last night, Green Book won the 2019 Academy Award for Best Picture at the Oscars. The movie’s title comes from The Negro Motorist Green Book travel guides that were printed to help black people travel safely during the Jim Crow era. They highlighted places to stay, eat, and fuel up during an era when institutionalized racism at hotels, restaurants, and gas stations was standard. Read More