Eyes Wide Open
How many of these American icons do you recognize?
“Every great dream begins with a dreamer. Always remember, you have within you the strength, the patience, and the passion to reach for the stars to change the world.” — Harriet Tubman
Vashti Harrison, the young author and illustrator of Little Leaders: Bold Women in Black History, awakened my childhood memories of longing for books illustrated with brown people who reminded me of family and friends.
A few days ago, while reorganizing my Great Migration Library shelves, a slim, white book popped out from between two heavier volumes. Feeling a burst of happiness after seeing the little book that reflected so many cultural nuances, I paused. Then, I repeated Freda DeKnight’s favorite phrase to use when describing her book, A Date With A Dish.
“By Us & For Us,” I whispered in an empty room.
BORN BEFORE CIVIL WAR: PHILLIS WHEATLEY (c.1753-1784); SOJOURNER TRUTH (1797-1883); HARRIET TUBMAN (1822-1913); REBECCA LEE CRUMPLER (1831-1895); MARY BOWSER (1846-unknown); MARY ELIZA MAHONEY (1845-1926); CHARLOTTE E. RAY (1850-1911); IDA B. WELLS (1862-1931).
Note: author names in bold type indicate a book cover will follow.
BORN IN 1890s: ZORA NEALE HURSTON (1891-1960); ALMA WOODSEY THOMAS (1891-1978); ALICE BALL (1892-1916); BESSIE COLEMAN (1892-1926); AUGUSTA SAVAGE (1892-1962); MARIAN ANDERSON (1897-1993).
“There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.”–Zora Neale Hurston
BORN 1900-1918: JOSEPHINE BAKER (1906-1975); MAHALIA JACKSON (1911-1972); ROSA PARKS (1913-2005); GWENDOLYN BROOKS (1917-2000); ELLA FITZGERALD (1917-1996); MAMIE PHIPPS CLARK (1917-1983); KATHERINE JOHNSON (1918-2020).
"Surely the day will come when color means nothing more than the skin tone... and all men are born free."-Josephine Baker
BORN 1920-1935: SHIRLEY CHISHOLM (1924-2005); ALTHEA GIBSON (1927-2003); MAYA ANGELOU (1928-2014); NICHELLE NICHOLS (1932-present); NINA SIMONE (1933-2003); AUDRE LORDE (1934-1992); RAVEN WILKINSON (1935-2018).
“What kept me sane was knowing that things would change, and it was a question of keeping myself together until they did." -Nina Simone
BORN IN THE 1940s: WILMA RUDOLPH (1940-1994); MARCELITE HARRIS (1943-present); ANGELA DAVIS (1944-present); OCTAVIA E. BUTLER (1947-2006).
“Education is a powerful tool in the struggle for liberation.”–Angela Davis
*BORN IN THE 1950s: JULIE DASH (1952-present); RUBY BRIDGES (1954-present); OPRAH WINFREY (1954-present); GWEN IFILL (1955-2016); DR. MAE JEMISON (1956-present); FLORENCE JOYNER (1959-1998).
“One thing I was consistent about was testing limits—mine and other people's—especially adults."—Dr. Mae Jemison
BORN 1960 & 1976: LORNA SIMPSON (1960-present); DOMINIQUE DAWES (1976-present).
“Don’t set your goals to be a star. Set your goals to be the best that you can be and go from there.”—Dominique Dawes
When Harrison describes tools she used to relate to the book’s young readers, she mentioned youthful references —plus youthful illustrations with closed eyes.
Eyes Closed?
Closed eyes remind young and old trailblazers to pause and look for inspiration from within.
It works for this Boomer.
Contact me for permission to reprint Great Migration Library photos, or photos from the Battle Family Archives.
Thank you for joining me in the Great Migration Library. The doors are always open. Your chair is waiting. Ancestors are smiling down.
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Reader Reminders:
More interesting facts will be revealed by clicking on red-colored links.
Great Migration Library website
The Great Migration Library’s highlighted links often connect you to more information, books at AbeBooks, or other independent booksellers, available at the time of our posting. Note: Before selecting from a link, sort through available offerings for desired condition; new or used.
Great Migration Library Sources, Links & Bookmarks
Dates of Reconstruction: 1865-1877
Learn more about amazing Vashti Harrison—from her website.
Little Leaders: Bold Women in Black History by Vashti Harrison (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, 2017).
Twelve Years a Slave by Solomon Northup (orig. 1853, Dover, 2000).
Night Flyer: Harriet Tubman and the Faith Dreams of a Free People by Tiya Miles (Penguin Books, 2025).
Dust Tracks on a Road: An Autobiography by Zora Neale Hurston (orig. 1942, Harper Perennial, 1996).
Crusade for Justice: The Autobiography of Ida B. Wells (orig. 1970, University of Chicago Press 2020).
Fearless and Free: A Memoir by Josephine Baker (orig. 1949, Tiny Reparations Books, 2025).
I Put a Spell On You: The Autobiography of Nina Simone by Nina Simone with Stephen Cleary (orig. 1992, Hachette Book Group, 2003).
Angela Davis: An Autobiography by Angela Davis (orig. 1974, Haymarket Books, 2023).
Find Where the Wind Goes: Moments from my life by Dr. Mae Jemison (Signal Hill Road, 2021).
Heart of A Champion: The Dominique Dawes Story by Kim Washburn (Zondervan, US, 2012).
A Date With A Dish: A Cook Book of American Negro Recipes by Freda (DeKnight) De Knight (Hermitage Press, 1948 edition only).
Please note: I often reference Wikipedia.com as a second source for dates, locations and other information.
Join the Book Search
Please join in my continued search for information regarding From the Plantation to the Doctor’s Office by Dr. Henry Roger Williams, published in the mid-1920s. Contact this great-granddaughter with any tips (from libraries, media archives, elders and more — including psychic readers).
© 2026 Donna Battle Pierce and Great-Migrations.com. All photo rights reserved by Battle Family Archives.