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Tribute to James Haskins
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From: Laban Hill <labanhill>
Date: Mon, 11 Jul 2005 14:00:03 -0400
I'd just like to pay tribute to James Haskins who just died. An obituary is in todays Times: http://nytimes.com/2005/07/11/books/11haskins.html.
In the late sixties Haskins almost single-handedly created the nonfiction African American category in children's literature. He began writing books on African American topics before there was even a place for the subject matter in the curriculum. It was his work--more than 100 children's books--that made the case for how important African American culture is to American culture. I'm reminded of a quote by Ralph Ellison wrote in his essay ?What America Would be Like Without Blacks? that ??whatever else the true American is, he is also somehow black.? Haskins made sure that children across America understood that.
Laban
Received on Mon 11 Jul 2005 01:00:03 PM CDT
Date: Mon, 11 Jul 2005 14:00:03 -0400
I'd just like to pay tribute to James Haskins who just died. An obituary is in todays Times: http://nytimes.com/2005/07/11/books/11haskins.html.
In the late sixties Haskins almost single-handedly created the nonfiction African American category in children's literature. He began writing books on African American topics before there was even a place for the subject matter in the curriculum. It was his work--more than 100 children's books--that made the case for how important African American culture is to American culture. I'm reminded of a quote by Ralph Ellison wrote in his essay ?What America Would be Like Without Blacks? that ??whatever else the true American is, he is also somehow black.? Haskins made sure that children across America understood that.
Laban
Received on Mon 11 Jul 2005 01:00:03 PM CDT
