Houston illustrator is an ‘artivist’ at heart
It’s hard for Nikkolas Smith to remember any lessons taught about slavery at his Spring elementary school.
Smith, 36, who was one of the few Black children in his classes, recalls learning about Davy Crockett and the Alamo. But aside from a mention of enslaved people as “workers,” there was little more said or told.
Smith’s latest illustrated project — a children’s book, titled “The 1619 Project: Born on the Water,” written by Pulitzer Prize winner Nikole Hannah-Jones and children’s author Renee Watson — is the book he wished he’d had in school.
“Born on the Water” tells the story of a student who has a class assignment to trace her roots. Through her grandmother’s storytelling, she learns her ancestors were stolen from Africa and enslaved in the United States. She also learns how they resisted and persevered.
The book interweaves historical accounts with poems and Smith’s realistic, colorful illustrations. It’s written for grades 2-5.
“They say our people were born on the water, but our people had a home, a place, a land before they were sold.”
“This is one of the most patriotic books ever created,” Smith said. “It’s a factual and true work based on things that happened to real people.”
As loud as the efforts are to quell lessons on slavery in classrooms and ban related books in libraries, the accurate telling of our country’s history of slavery has never been more important and necessary than it is now. Our nation, which continues to deal with a racial reckoning, can’t
possibly begin to heal without the truth.
“People who have negative things to say are those who don’t want accurate history told, and they don’t want to see progress,” Smith said. “My ancestors adhered to the belief of justice for all. It’s accurate to say that the Founding Fathers didn’t uphold the ideals that they talked about in terms of justice for all.”
Smith calls himself an “artivist,” one who uses art as activism.
A graduate of Klein High
School and the youngest of six children, Smith studied architecture at Hampton University in
Virginia, a historically Black college. He earned a master’s degree in architecture and became a Walt Disney “imagineer,” designing Disney theme parks. His first children’s book was “The Golden Girls of Rio,” celebrating the female athletes at the 2016 Olympic Games, including gymnast Simone Biles. Smith went to high school with Biles’ brothers. He created the book in three weeks.
His other books include “My Hair Is Poofy & That’s OK” (2017) and “World Cup Women: Megan, Alex and the Team USA Soccer Champs” (2019).
Smith has shared his talent for speed paintings, quick interpretative
works of art, on social media. He calls it therapy. He has painted cultural and civil rights icons, including the late actor Chadwick Boseman, Jay-Z and Beyoncé, Biles, late hip-hop star Nipsey Hussle and portraits of policeabuse victims, including Breonna Taylor, Michael Brown and George Floyd, wearing a tux.
In 2020, Converse ditched its fall fashion campaign and tapped Smith to create art that amplified Black voices for its billboards throughout Los Angeles.
“Artivism is using art to inspire people to make positive change and to encourage them to get involved to make the world a better place,” said Smith, who lives in Los Angeles with his wife, photographer/filmmaker Vanessa Crocini, and their 1-year-old son, Zion. “If they are captivated by what I’ve painted, then I can talk with them about what needs to happen to bring about change.”
“Born on the Water” is a complement to “The 1619 Project,” which was created by HannahJones, a correspondent for the New York Times Magazine. Launched in August 2019 to commemorate the 400th anniversary of the first enslaved Africans arriving in Colonial Virginia, the extensive project has ignited conversation about how America’s history is taught in schools.
Last summer, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signed a “critical race theory” bill into law banning teachers from discussing race and racism in the classroom — including “The 1619 Project.”
“And the people who were born on the water survived. Kept living and living.”
“It’s not easy to tell the story of slavery in picture-book form. It’s a tragic time in history, but we
wanted to show a lot of hope,” said Smith, who researched the culture, clothing and hairstyles of central and West African tribes.
“I’m not suggesting we go into kindergarten classrooms and tell that George Washington owned slaves, which he did. I’m saying that history shouldn’t be just a white story. You see how integral Black people are to the development of this country when you tell the truth.”
“Born on the Water” is dedicated to Smith’s son.
“I want my son to grow up and not see a whitewashed version of what happened. These were brilliant minds who were taken and stolen. My son will be a child of the world. But I know someone will still look at him as less than or inferior,” Smith said.
Every child in America should learn about the true story of slavery, and “Born on the Water” is a good start.