![]() ![]() The Atlantic slave trade began in earnest in the early 16th century as European powers, specifically Portugal and Spain, colonized the coasts of West Africa and shipped abducted Africans to South American colonies. ![]() Many of Draper’s books focus on the experience of Black Americans or of racial tensions in the U.S. Several of her books have won local and regional awards as well. She’s won five Coretta Scott King Book Awards (one of which was for Copper Sun) and has had several of her novels listed as ALA Best Books. Over the course of her career, she’s won awards both for her teaching and for her writing. A decade later, Draper retired from teaching to focus on writing instead. The resulting short story, “One Small Torch,” won a writing contest sponsored by Ebony magazine. ![]() In 1990, one of her students challenged her to write something of her own. Following the completion of her education, she began teaching high school in Cincinnati. She earned a bachelor’s in English from Pepperdine University and went on to pursue a master’s in English from Miami University of Ohio. She was an avid reader as a child, devouring almost every book in her library’s children’s section by age 11. ![]() Draper, the oldest of three children, was born in Cleveland, Ohio. ![]()
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