Barnes, Derrick

Derrick Barnes is the author of the picture book Crown: An Ode to the Fresh Cut, which received a Newbery Honor, a Coretta Scott King Author Honor, the Ezra Jack Keats New Writer Award, and the Kirkus Prize for Young Readers. He is also the creator of the New York Times bestselling companion picture books, The King of Kindergarten and The Queen of Kindergarten, and co-wrote the graphic novel Victory. Stand!: Raising My Fist For Justice (Norton Young Readers) with former Olympic track-and-field gold medalist Tommie Smith, illustrated by Dawud Anyabwile. The book revisits the events on October 16, 1968, during the medal ceremony at the Mexico City Olympics. Smith, the gold medal winner in the 200-meter sprint, and John Carlos, the bronze medal winner, stood on the podium in black socks and raised their black-gloved fists to protest racial injustice inflicted upon African Americans. It’s a stirring portrait of an iconic moment in Olympic history that still resonates today.