WATCH: Nikkolas Smith, Namrata Tripathi, and Jason Reynolds Introduce The 1619 Project: Born on the Water

Illustrator and artist Nikkolas Smith and Kokila publisher Namrata Tripathi are joined in conversation by Jason Reynolds, the 2020-21 National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature, to discuss Smith’s lyrical new picture book, The 1619 Project: Born on the Water.

Born on the Water (published by Kokila, an imprint of Penguin Young Readers) chronicles the consequences of slavery and the history of Black resistance in the US. Derived from The New York Times Magazine’s groundbreaking 1619 Project and written by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Nikole Hannah-Jones and Newbery honor-winning Renée Watson, Born on the Water provides a pathway for readers of all ages to reflect on the origins of American identity through the story of a young student who receives a family tree assignment in school. She learns that 400 years ago, in 1619, her family’s ancestors were stolen and brought to America by white slave traders—but before that, they had a home, a land, a language.

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