Ireko Baker
I want to say thanks to Ireko Baker who is the original illustrator of Marcus Teaches Us. It is his imagination and inspiration that made us work so well as a team. So thanks again Ireko.
I wrote this in 2012 when I first published Marcus Teaches Us, www.garveykids.com . Beginning a book like Marcus Teaches Us was a challenge! Everyone said “Good Idea”…”we need a book like that for kids”. And still we struggle for recognition at home , where he is a National Hero, and abroad.
In the link above, Carolyn Cooper mentions the beauty and creativity of the person Ireko Baker. He gave me encouragement by demonstrating his innovativeness in the illustrations. There are two that I really like. I have carried these through all the editions. It is the silk screen project done in Jamaica in a summer camp for tweens. The other is a coloring activity of the animals of Africa. When you do get your 3rd edition of Marcus Teaches Us make sure to look for those pages.
Marcus will always be important to me as he created a new understanding of African Nationalism. Not Black Nationalism, as he grew to understand the difference between the two. I suppose it is coincidental that as I grew, I learnt that he defied the system that my own family was integral in building. This is the reality that many Jamaicans are faced with but yet are willing to see the truth in Garvey’s teachings.
Get your copy of Marcus Teaches Us, with his teaching simplified for kids 6-9 years old. it will soon be out. The second edition is still on Amazon.