The picture book They Built Me for Freedom: The Story of Juneteenth and Houston’s Emancipation Park tells the history of a historic park in Houston, Texas that is connected to the origins of the holiday known as Juneteenth—in the park’s own voice. Author Tonya Duncan Ellis sat down with illustrator Jenin Mohammed to discuss their creative processes.

Tonya: I am so grateful that you agreed to illustrate my manuscript. What are things you consider when deciding which picture books to illustrate?
 
Jenin: The first thing I ask myself is: does the story speak to me? When I first read They Built Me for Freedom, my mind was bursting with potential illustrations, and I hadn’t even see pictures of Emancipation Park yet!

The second question I consider: Is this a story I can see myself as a kid reading? Growing up, my mother ensured that I was surrounded by Black representation, whether that be Black dolls, cartoons, or books. However, many of those books were grim, mainly because they were historical (let’s face it, America’s history with African descendants is objectively horrifying).

In the way that your text weaves the past into the present, it shows that the road to liberation is not all beatings and brutality, it is one paved by a strong, joyous community, which is a very important message we as cultural workers should be weaving into our art.  

Jenin: Having a park as a main character is unconventional for picture book. What personally inspired you to write a story about Emancipation Park?
 
Tonya: I consider They Built Me for Freedom a gift from my ancestors. The day I was inspired to write it I had taken an “artist date” to Emancipation Park to brainstorm picture book topic ideas. Juneteenth wasn’t yet a national holiday. As I strolled through the open fields and observed Houston’s skyline I imagined my forebears celebrating and rejoicing in their newfound liberation on the very ground I was walking. Words that would be included in closing lines of the story came to me: “Standing strong, walking proud, singing songs of jubilee, running free….” I immediately went home and did research to learn all I could about Emancipation Park’s history.

Speaking of the park, I love how you incorporated things like butterflies and plants native to Houston throughout the book. What sparked this idea? What was the research process on learning about these natural elements?

Jenin: You noticed the butterflies! Yay! My process of incorporating the plants you see in the book involved a lot of research. I learned that butterflies are a crucial part of most land biomes. As I researched the butterflies that were native to Houston, I came across the Red Admiral butterfly, which caught my eye because it is red and black—Juneteenth colors. From there, I discovered that the Red Admiral caterpillar eats stinging nettle… and that stinging nettle can cause a serious rash if you touch it. This is what activated the artistic part of my brain. We see stinging nettle all throughout the book, which I intended to represent a duality of Emancipation Park: The people who built it were living through tough and perilous conditions, and we should never forget that, but, despite the odds, the ancestors built something beautiful so that future generations of families and flowers may bloom.
 
What inspired your journey as a children’s book author? Who are some of your favorite illustrators and/or picture book authors?
 
Tonya: Author Kelly Starling Lyons is a huge inspiration. I was blown away after hearing her read from her book, Sing a Song: How “Lift Every Voice and Sing” Inspired Generations, at a virtual SCBWI conference during the pandemic. I was touched by all the emotions Kelly evoked in just 32 pages and the wonderful way she honored and conveyed African American history and culture. By the end of her presentation there wasn’t a dry eye in the Zoom! Other picture book writers I admire include Derrick Barnes, Tameka Fryer Brown, Van Garrett, Ann Wynter, and Nikki Grimes.

When the final images of the cover for They Built Me for Freedom came through via email, I was waiting in line at the grocery. After glancing at my phone I covered my face in embarrassment because I teared up, right there in the store! It perfectly captured the feelings I had during my first visit to Emancipation Park, and even more beautifully than I could have imagined. How do you choose which artistic techniques to use in your illustrations?
 
Jenin: It depends on the story and mood I’m going for. In They Built Me for Freedom, I was drawn to nature prints; that’s how I learned about gel printing. It’s a fantastic way to capture the detail of real plants. I must’ve made at least a hundred plant prints.

Jenin: There were so many dried, pressed, plants hanging around my workspace the past year. I brought my art prints into photoshop and start merging them with my watercolor painting backgrounds and digital illustrations.

Jenin: Most of the characters were digitally painted.
 
I’m sure there is a lot of work that goes into writing a picture book. Especially a historical one like this. Which part of the writing process did you enjoy the most?

Tonya: Visiting Emancipation Park, researching its history, writing the initial manuscript, and seeing your illustrations for the first time were all amazing. But I'd say my favorite part of the process with this particular book was revising it. I workshopped my first draft of They Built Me for Freedom at a virtual Highlights Foundation camp before it sold to HarperCollins. When Jordan Brown, the editor, sent me his edit notes, which suggested adding stanzas, I was participating in a writing retreat at the actual Highlights Foundation retreat center in Pennsylvania. I spent hours revising the book from my own private cabin in the woods and watched deer and rabbits frolicking outside my window as I wrote. I was truly living my dream, and it felt like a full circle moment.