Busboys and Poets Books Presents CHOOSING BRAVE
Date and Time
Sep 8, 2022 6:00 pm
Location
Shirlington
4251 S. Campbell Ave, Arlington, Virginia, 22206
Sep 8, 2022 6:00 pm
Shirlington
ABOUT THE BOOK
A picture book biography of the mother of Emmett Till, and how she channeled grief over her son's death into a call to action for the civil rights movement.
Mamie Till-Mobley is the mother of Emmett Till, the 14-year-old boy who was brutally murdered while visiting the South in 1955. His death became a rallying point for the civil rights movement, but few know that it was his mother who was the catalyst for bringing his name to the forefront of history.
In Choosing Brave, Angela Joy and Janelle Washington offer a testament to the power of love, the bond of motherhood, and one woman's unwavering advocacy for justice. It is a poised, moving work about a woman who refocused her unimaginable grief into action for the greater good. Mamie fearlessly refused to allow America to turn away from what happened to her only child. She turned pain into change that ensured her son's life mattered.
Timely, powerful, and beautifully told, this thorough and moving story has been masterfully crafted to be both comprehensive and suitable for younger readers.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Janelle Washington is a self-taught paper-cut and silhouette from Richmond, Virginia. She graduated from VCU with a BFA in Fashion Design and worked as a children's wear designer for 12 years. While designing, she found interest in paper cutting after being presented with an opportunity to display other artistic talents during a company show and tell presentation. Creating with paper proved to be quite an exciting concept, and after extensive research, she designed and made her first paper cut.
Through the simplicity of paper, Janelle creates images that showcase African Americans' courage, achievements, and grace in difficult situations. In addition, her work explores Black culture, history, identity, family, and feminine beauty themes.
She has commissioned silhouettes housed at the Smithsonian National Museum of African-American History and Culture in Washington, DC, and art installations at the historic St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Richmond, Virginia. In addition, Janelle's silhouettes have been published in the Oprah magazine, September 2020 issue for the #SayHerName campaign featuring Breonna Taylor. She was also interviewed and featured in the Richmond Times-Dispatch newspaper by the 2021 Pultizer Prize Winner, Michael Paul Williams. Janelle's first illustrated book, written by author Angela Joy, will come out in Fall 2022.
Janelle is a member of The Guild of American Papercutters, Artist/Scholars of Color Collective, Art Impact USA, Inc., and Ikouii. Janelle currently lives and works in Alexandria, Virginia, with her husband while enjoying reading sci-fi and fiction books from the library and researching new paper-cut ideas.
