African Americans were forcibly enslaved and brought to this land to build houses they were not allowed to live in, tend to families who were not their own, and sow the seeds that fed a nation - while being left with only scraps themselves. They were not expected to thrive. But they did.
In her picture book debut from Candlewick Press, MacArthur Fellowship recipient and Grammy award-winning singer-songwriter Rhiannon Giddens depicts a family’s resilience in the face of violence and sorrow. They are determined not just to survive, but also to tell their own story.
Based on the song “Build A House,” composed for the 155th anniversary of Juneteenth and performed with renowned cellist Yo-Yo Ma, Giddens’s stirring text is paired with moving illustrations by Monica Mikai. Build a House confronts the history of slavery in America by telling... (Continues)
You brought me here to build your house, build your house, build your house (Continues)
Juneteenth (ufficialmente Giornata Nazionale dell'Indipendenza del Juneteenth e storicamente noto come Giornata dell'Indipendenza e Giornata dell'Emancipazione) è una festa federale degli Stati Uniti che commemora la liberazione degli schiavi afroamericani. La ricorrenza è nata a Galveston, in Texas, e viene celebrata ogni anno il 19 giugno in varie parti degli Stati Uniti dal 1866. Il Juneteenth è stato riconosciuto come festa federale il 17 giugno 2021, quando il presidente degli Stati Uniti d'America Joe Biden ha firmato la legge del Juneteenth National Independence Day. È stata scelta la data del 19 giugno per la ricorrenza perché il 19 giugno del 1865 il generale dell'esercito dell'Unione Gordon Granger proclamò l'obbligo di liberare tutti gli schiavi del Texas, l'ultimo stato della Confederazione a non aver ancora abolito la schiavitù.
‘Another Wasted Life’ was actually written after I heard of the story of Kalief Browder, who was put into solitary confinement after not having been charged for a crime. When he was released, it wasn’t too much longer after that he committed suicide.
It obviously fits very squarely into the mission that I’ve had for a very long time. It’s one that I hope will bring more attention to the plight of exonerated men who are still stuck in prison because somebody wanted to close a case or because somebody lied and fingered them, or just because once you’re in, they don’t want you to get out.
Build a House
with Yo-Yo Ma and Francesco Turrisi
African Americans were forcibly enslaved and brought to this land to build houses they were not allowed to live in, tend to families who were not their own, and sow the seeds that fed a nation - while being left with only scraps themselves. They were not expected to thrive. But they did.
In her picture book debut from Candlewick Press, MacArthur Fellowship recipient and Grammy award-winning singer-songwriter Rhiannon Giddens depicts a family’s resilience in the face of violence and sorrow. They are determined not just to survive, but also to tell their own story.
Based on the song “Build A House,” composed for the 155th anniversary of Juneteenth and performed with renowned cellist Yo-Yo Ma, Giddens’s stirring text is paired with moving illustrations by Monica Mikai. Build a House confronts the history of slavery in America by telling... (Continues)