You Come from Greatness: A Celebration of Black History
by Sara Chinakwe
illustrated by Ken Daley
illustrated by Ken Daley
Category
📚
LearningTranscript
00:00To Imadi and Eljawan and all God's children.
00:14I pray that you see yourself as God sees you.
00:18Sara.
00:19To my mom and dad who showed me that I came from greatness.
00:23Ken.
00:25You come from greatness.
00:27A celebration of black history.
00:30Written by Sara Chinakwe.
00:32Illustrated by Ken Daly.
00:35You came bustling into the world a mighty bundle of energy ready to do great things.
00:41And no wonder you stand on the shoulders of those who came before and you too were.
00:46Born to shine.
00:48You come from laughter and love.
00:51From a big family by way of the bayou who ate crawdads at the crab boil after Sunday
00:56service.
00:58From a mother who's as warm as a brassy.
01:01African sunset and a father whose emboldened strength lies just beneath his tender heart.
01:08And you.
01:09You embody a spirit that soars with delight over new possibilities.
01:14You can go anywhere.
01:16You can be anything.
01:18You come from people who spoke with voices as mighty as a lion's roar.
01:23You come from change makers and status shakers people ready to rally in unity to ensure your
01:29future.
01:31Like them, you are a light that will spark the next generation.
01:35Don't be afraid to lift up your voice.
01:39Speak peace and seek justice.
01:41You are descended from dreamers designers inventors and engineers.
01:46If you listen closely, you can hear the clinkety clink of their work.
01:51You come from dedication and determination.
01:55Now pick up your tools child and be a willing worker.
01:59You are just the right person with just the right ideas.
02:03Use the talent God has given you to make a better world.
02:07You come from people who would not give in.
02:10Would not give in, who would not give up.
02:14Captivity could not crush them.
02:17The whip did not destroy them.
02:19In songs of lament they poured out their pain then soared up again with hopeful refrain.
02:25You come from strong backs and stronger spirits.
02:29Never forget.
02:31You have a proud heritage.
02:34Walk tall.
02:35You come from great African tribes who celebrated with ancient masquerades long into the night
02:41as the swish swish swish of their grass skirts moved to the boom boom boom of the drums.
02:47You come from the islands with the rhythm of reggae and calypso on the coast.
02:52Music is in your blood.
02:54Clarinets and saxophones, double bass and big trombones swinging high and swinging low
03:00playing jazz and bebop and blues.
03:03And here you are with your drumming and your humming and all your joyful noise.
03:08With your rapping.
03:10With your shimmy and your shake.
03:13Sing on.
03:14Dance on.
03:16Move to the beat.
03:18God gives you.
03:19You come from mighty legacy leaders pharaohs monarchs magistrates presidents kings and
03:25queens.
03:26And if one day God raises you and seats you on a throne.
03:30I know you'll serve with grace and truth and make his glory known.
03:35You come from doctors and scientists and preachers men and women who cared for bodies
03:40and souls.
03:42They bandaged the wounded spoke truth in love and served others first.
03:47My child follow their lead and let your unending love for others radiate like the ripples in
03:52a pond.
03:53Food the hungry, help the sick, clothe the needy and forgive as you've been forgiven.
04:00Then you too can bring healing to this weary world.
04:04You come from astronomers and mathematicians who mapped the paths of planets navigated
04:09oceans and deserts and calculated time and tides.
04:14Their complex equations sent ships across oceans and kept caravans on course.
04:20They launched astronauts into space.
04:23And then.
04:25They brought them safely home again.
04:28And you.
04:29You might use a telescope to study the stars.
04:33Or you may choose to fly far up high above the earth.
04:37Whatever you decide work with diligence and soar with confidence became God created you
04:42to shine wherever you go in the universe.
04:45My beloved your roots are connected to the great men and women who worked in harmony
04:50to cultivate plow and plant in the fertile African plains.
04:55So farm the land that God has laid before you.
04:59Dig down into the dirt.
05:01Plant and water and wait.
05:04Sow the seeds and pull the weeds trusting that one day you will enjoy what you grow.
05:09You come from wise ports storytellers and ancient desert dwellers who were philosophers
05:14prophets and priests.
05:17They shared their knowledge with generation after generation speaking new possibilities
05:22and fanning the flames of change across time.
05:26Continue in their footsteps.
05:29The fire burning my child.
05:31Live out you story and tell the people you meet along the way about the good God who
05:36guides your life.
05:38Because you are my child, you come from God the Father the Son and the Holy Spirit.
05:44The creator the savior the guide.
05:47He made you exactly the way you're supposed to be just the right texture just the right
05:52hue.
05:53He created you.
05:55From your head to your toes and everything in between.
05:59You are greatness.
06:01Sarah Chinacqua is an author teacher and children's ministry leader.
06:06She encourages the youngest of minds to pursue God's purpose and inspire children to see
06:11themselves as God sees them.
06:14Sarah lives in Sacramento California with her husband and two children.
06:19You can read more on her website www.sarahchinacqua.com Ken Daly was born in Cambridge Ontario to
06:30parents who emigrated from the Dominica West Indies.
06:34His artwork has been features in several picture books including In the Spirit of a Dream and
06:39Auntie Lucy's Talking Paintings which received a starred review in Kirkus Reviews.