Eric Velasquez
BIO
ERIC VELASQUEZ is the award-winning illustrator of Schomburg: The Man Who Built a Library,written by Carole Boston Weatherford, which received a Walter Dean Myers Award and a Golden Kite Award. He also illustrated Mambo Mucho Mambo! The Dance That Crossed Color Lines written by Dean Robbins. Velasquez has won a John Steptoe Coretta Scott King New Talent Illustrator Award and a Pura Belpré Illustrator Award. Eric Velasquez lives in Hartsdale, New York.
OUTSPOKEN: PAUL ROBESON, AHEAD OF HIS TIME: A ONE-MAN SHOW
Paul Robeson rose to prominence during the Harlem Renaissance, known for his extraordinary vocal, dramatic, and oratory skills. But he was a true Renaissance man: an accomplished athlete, a bright intellect, and a passionate supporter for humanitarian causes. He displayed his talents on many stages: the pulpit where he filled in for his minister father; on debate, football, baseball, basketball, and track teams; in college and law school classrooms; on the theatrical stage and the silver screen; and behind the podium. Paul Robeson became internationally renowned as a singer and actor, and as his fame grew, so did his unflinching activism against racial injustice. He used the power of his voice to speak out as America’s conscience, but when his nation was not yet willing to listen, he found a more-supportive reception in the USSR. In this moving birth-to-death biography, Carole Boston Weatherford’s poetic first-person narrative, interlaced with excerpts from African American spirituals, pairs with dynamic illustrations by Eric Velasquez capturing Paul Robeson’s commanding presence. Back matter includes a time line, source notes, and bibliography for readers inspired to learn more.