AUSTIN, TEXAS-BASED AUTHOR/ILLUSTRATOR DON TATE TO BE HONORED BY A CHRISTOPHER AWARD FOR "POET" ON MAY 19 IN NYC

Austin, Texas-based author/illustrator Don Tate--a "Southie"--has won a Christopher Award for the book Poet: The Remarkable Story of George Moses Horton (for children ages 6 and up, Peachtree Publishers). It is one of 12 books for adults and young people by 21authors and illustrators to be celebrated, along with the writers, producers and directors of nine winning feature films and TV/Cable programs, on May 19, 2016 at the 67th annual Christopher Awards in New York.

According to Tony Rossi, director of communications for The Christophers, “the book presents the inspiring biography of a slave who taught himself to read and eventually became the first southern African American man to be published.”

In the Authors Note, Tate wrote that it was his goal to present the topic of slavery as more than just an uncomfortable word and to demonstrate Horton’s relevance in children’s lives today. Literacy, while far better for African Americans today than in Horton’s, when it was “unusual—even outlawed,” still far too many kids graduate from high school functionally illiterate, making illiteracy as important a challenge as in the 18th and 19th centuries.

Poet is one of three winning books this year geared to the African American community. The others are The Wind in the Reeds by actor Wendell Pierce and One Righteous Man: Samuel Battle and the Shattering of the Color Line in New York (Beacon Press) by NY Daily News editorial page editor Art Browne.

Tate is an award-winning author and the illustrator of numerous critically acclaimed books for children. He is also one of the founding hosts of the blog The Brown Bookshelf – designed to promote awareness of the myriad of African American voices writing for young readers, with book reviews, author and illustrator interviews.

He frequently speaks at schools, public libraries and writing conferences, and participates in book festivals, including the Texas Book Festival; San Antonio Book Festival; The Savannah Children’s Book Festival; The Dallas Children’s Book and Literary Festival; The African American Children’s Book Fair,Bookamania, and at such conferences as The International Reading Association (IRA); Texas Library Association (TLA); National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE); American Association of School Librarians (AASL); National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS); The National Alliance of Black School Educators, others.

Created in 1949, The Christopher Awards are presented to authors and illustrators as well as writers, producers and directors whose work “affirms the highest values of the human spirit.” Rossi says, “The world around us can seem like a dark place but the stories we honor with Christopher Awards remind us that we can illuminate the darkness by choosing to practice faith, love, compassion, courage, teamwork, and determination.”

The Christophers, a nonprofit organization founded in 1945 by Maryknoll Father James Keller, is rooted in the Judeo-Christian tradition of service to God and humanity. The ancient Chinese proverb—“It’s better to light one candle than to curse the darkness”— guides its publishing, radio, and awards programs. More information about The Christophers is available at www.christophers.org.