Fredrick McKissack

Fredrick Lemuel McKissack (August 12, 1939 - April 28, 2013) was an African-American writer, best known for collaboration with his wife, Patricia C. McKissack on more than 100 children's books about the history of African Americans.[1]

Biography

McKissack was born in 1939 to a prominent family of African-American architects in Nashville, Tennessee—McKissack & McKissack, "widely regarded as the oldest African-American-owned architectural and construction firm in the United States."[1] After high school, McKissack joined the United States Marines, before earning a degree in civil engineering from Tennessee State University.[1] He was active in the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s, participating in sit-ins to end segregation.[1]

In 1964, McKissack and Patricia Leanna Carwell married, eventually having three children.[1] In the early 1980s, the couple began writing children's books together, focusing on African-American history, which they felt was underrepresented in children's literature. "In those days there were so few books for and about the African-American child .... Black kids needed to see themselves in books."[2]

Selected titles

See also

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 William Yardley, "Fredrick L. McKissack, 73, Children’s Book Author, Dies", New York Times, May 9, 2013.
  2. ↑ 2006 interview, cited in New York Times obituary, May 9, 2013.

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