Jerry Pinkney: Art from The Old African

Jerry Pinkney and Julius Lester first collaborated in 1987 on The Tales of Uncle Remus. In The Old African, published in 2005, they create an unflinching account of the horrors of slavery and the courage of self-determination. The story is based on an 1803 uprising along the Georgia coast in which enslaved Ibo people walked into the ocean, choosing death by suicide rather than life in captivity. The event, told across generations, was an act of resistance that grew to mythic status. In glowing watercolors, Pinkney envisions the Ibos underwater journey at the bottom of the sea and their triumphant return to Africa.

This exhibition was made possible by generous support from Penguin Group, Inc.