.jpg)
.jpg)
Ke'Shunta Drake is an Assistant Editor at Historianspeaks.org. She is a graduate student at Michigan State University where she is completing studies in English Literature
The recent announcement of the MacArthur Awards, known as the genius award, is always a cause for celebration. The award not only recognizes the best and brightest but celebrates the innovative work and contributions of its recipients to American society. It is given annually to 20-30 individuals and includes a $650,000 stipend. The fact that Jacqueline Woodson, a young adult fiction author and poet, who has written 30 books, received the award will come as no surprise to anyone who follows her career. She is not only an innovative and pathbreaking author but has carved out a distinctive literary niche. She exemplifies “originality” and “dedication” to creative pursuits. Woodson also has the distinction of being only one of three Black female authors, along with Tressie McMillian, a writer and professor of sociology at University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill and N.K Jemson, an award-winning science fiction and fantasy writer, to win this year's MacArthur award. She is also one of the few queer people to win the award.
Jacqueline Woodson was born February 12, 1963, in Columbus, Ohio. Woodson says: "I was born as the South explode[d]." Martin Luther King gave his famous "I Have a Dream" speech at the march in Washington and John F. Kennedy was assassinated in 1963 Woodson grew up between Greenville, SC and Brooklyn, NY,, but her roots were in South Carolina. She says: "I was born in Ohio, but the stories of South Carolina already run like rivers through my veins." Surprisingly, Woodson struggled with reading as a child. To remember words, she would copy lyrics from songs and commercials. Her love for writing comes from her struggle with words. Today, Woodson lives in Brooklyn with her partner and two children.
Woodson's career began when she enrolled in Bunny Gables Children's book writing class at The New School, a private research university in New York. While attending class, one of the editors at Delacorte, an imprint of Random House Children's books, became interested in her work, Last Summer with Maizon. Last Summer with Maizon became the first of Woodson's f six books published with the company. She has published over 30 books.
Before winning the MacArthur fellowship, Woodson was the recipient of numerous awards including the Hans Christian Anderson Award, Coretta Scott King award, and the Margret A. Edwards Award for Lifetime Achievement. Her work redefines children and adult fiction literature, and i reflects the complexity of society. She tackles issues such as incarceration, interracial relationships, social class, gender, and sexual identity.
Woodson's books are heavily influenced by her family stories, upbringing, and identity. Red at the Bone, Each Kindness, and Brown Girl Dreaming are some of her most popular titles. Red at the Bone, tells a coming-of-age story about a 16-year-old girl named Melody. The book explores sexual identity, ambition, gentrification, education, class and status, and the life-altering changes caused by parenthood. Each Kindness is a children's book, illustrated by E.B. Lewis, which deals with the impact of kindness. The story is about a young girl named Chloe, who turns away from a new girl Maya, who wants to befriend her. Chloe does not know why she rejects or fails to befriend Maya. Ine day, Maya disappears, and Chloe is left to deal with the consequences of her actions toward Maya. Brown Girl Dreaming is a memoir about Woodson's experiences growing up in the 1960s and 70s living in the remnants of Jim Crow and her growing awareness of the civil rights movement. She also credits figures: Toni Morrison, Nikki Giovanni, James Baldwin as inspirations for her work.
Jacqueline Woodson is a walking inspiration. Her humble beginnings inspired Woodson to imagine a life beyond her circumstances. Woodson incorporated her background and the lessons learned from her family to write stories about the complexity of Black life. Woodson’s children books and young adult fiction places Black children at the center. By doing so, she allows black children to see themselves in literature in which they are often nonexistent. She opens the door to unlimited possibilities for Black children. Moreover, Woodson tackles controversial topics; she gives a voice to marginalized groups. Despite her many accolades, Woodson continues to use her pen to inspire. She empowers people that society has marginalized and in doing so, uplifts us all.