{"id":902,"date":"2019-03-25T15:53:37","date_gmt":"2019-03-25T15:53:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/olos.ala.org\/csk\/?p=902"},"modified":"2021-08-15T03:31:42","modified_gmt":"2021-08-15T03:31:42","slug":"csk-through-the-decades-the-1990s-part-1","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/olos.ala.org\/csk\/2019\/03\/25\/csk-through-the-decades-the-1990s-part-1\/","title":{"rendered":"CSK Through the Decades: The 1990s (Part 1)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The two decades prior to the 1990s firmly established the Coretta Scott King Book Awards as exemplary and essential among its earlier created counterparts. During the 1990s, incredibly talented authors and illustrators such as Angela Johnson, Sharon Draper, Sharon Flake, James Ransome, Tom Feelings, Javaka Steptoe, and Patricia and Fredrick McKissack received award recognition and honors for their outstanding written works and exceptional illustrations celebrating and showcasing the remarkable culture and history of African Americans.
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Patricia and Fredrick McKissack<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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At the start of the decade, literary couple extraordinaire Patricia and Fredrick McKissack won the 1990 CSK Author Award for A Long Hard Journey:  The Story of the Pullman Porter. <\/em><\/strong>This title recounted the true story of the powerful union effort and victory of African American Pullman porters known as the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters as they ultimately became the first major Black labor union admitted to the American Federation of Labor (AFL) in 1925.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The McKissacks were inspired to write African and African American stories and make history come alive for children to introduce them to the greatness exhibited and pain endured by such extraordinary people. They aimed to provide stories that deeply resonated with young people in a way they could understand, internalize, and connect with emotionally. This literary power couple co-wrote more than 50 books, with Fred serving as the primary researcher and Patricia writing the text. They attributed their continued success to constant communication and conferring with one another throughout the writing process. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 1993, the McKissacks won a CSK Honor Book designation for Sojourner Truth: Ain\u2019t I a Woman? <\/em><\/strong>This biographical account told the story of Sojourner Truth, an African American female activist, abolitionist, and preacher who dedicated her life to the cause for African American and women\u2019s equal rights.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Writing numerous books herself, in 1993, Patricia McKissack received the CSK Author Award for what has been considered her most notable work, The Dark Thirty:  Southern Tales of the Supernatural<\/em><\/strong>.  This compilation of nine stories and a poem was written from her childhood memories when the half-hour before nightfall was considered the dark thirty.  This award-winning title was illustrated by Brian Pinkney, who also won the CSK Illustrator Award for Sukey and the Mermaid<\/strong> in the same year. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Teaming up again, two years later, Fred and Patricia won their second CSK Author Award in 1995 for Christmas in the Big House, Christmas in the Quarters<\/em><\/strong>. This historical story described the contrast between the slaveholder and the enslaved as they prepared the Big House for the Christmas holiday on a Virginia plantation in the 1850s while also revealing the triumphant spirit of a people, who, despite oppression, find a way to prepare their humble yet heart-filled living quarters for the \u201cBig Times.\u201d That same year, the couple received another CSK Honor Book recognition for Black Diamond: The Story of the Negro Baseball Leagues. <\/em><\/strong>In this non-fiction book, they share the history of the Negro League Baseball and pay homage to the legendary players whose perseverance and enduring spirit paved the way for others to follow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Honoring their illustrious careers and unforgettable contributions to African American children\u2019s literature, the McKissack\u2019s were awarded the prestigious Virginia Hamilton Award for Lifetime Achievement in 2014, shortly after Fred\u2019s death a year earlier.  After what can only be regarded as a remarkable literary ride of more than 40 years, Patricia McKissack died in 2017. Her final picture book, What is Given from the Heart<\/em><\/strong>, an endearing tale about the priceless act of giving, was posthumously published in 2019.
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