The Davenports(101)
As inspiring as it was to read about the contributions of Black people throughout history and at this moment in particular, I was saddened that so little made it to the pages of my own schoolbooks. Instead, I had been guided through the same handful of biographies and a few highlights each year: Brown v. Board of Education, the speeches of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and Rosa Parks’s famous bus ride. Today, there are textbooks that have rebranded slaves as “workers” who “immigrated” to fill agricultural jobs. The true horrors of slavery and the early push toward equity is a footnote in American history, and stories of Black success, like the Pattersons’, are all but erased. I believe this erasure is why people of color and their allies still march.
And though it would be easy to become disheartened by the violence enacted against Black people in this country throughout history, I was reminded in my research of Black resilience too. For every Tulsa Race Massacre or the razing of Seneca Village, there is a Harlem Renaissance. The Springfield Race Riot in 1908 led to the establishment of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). Barriers to education resulted in the creation of Historical Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). In the wake of modern technology, Black Americans and other minorities are documenting their truth, sharing their art, and amplifying their voices. There is a push to be seen and rediscover parts of America’s history that have been largely overlooked. Books like Isabel Wilkerson’s The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America’s Great Migration and Unspeakable by Carole Boston Weatherford highlight the triumph and tragedy Black Americans experienced during a critical time in history, full of hope, sacrifice, and loss. Juneteenth, celebrated in ways as varied as the people who honored their traditions, is now a national holiday. And Americans of all races gather in city streets, calling for change and equality.
Dr. LaGarrett King of the University of Missouri-Columbia said, “In many ways we wouldn’t have a Black Lives Matter movement if Black lives mattered in the classroom.” We can speculate how different our nation would be if curriculums better illuminated the highs and lows of our past as well as the diversity our of society. But I believe, dear reader, that like me, you are optimistic that the spotlight on BIPOC representation and books like this are just the beginning.
I hope you had as much fun reading the stories of these young, determined women—Olivia, Helen, Amy-Rose, and Ruby—as I did writing them.
Thank you for reading. See you next time at Freeport.
Acknowledgements
Thank you, reader, for staying with me this far. This book is my wildest dream come true and I am so happy to share it with you. I am incredibly grateful for the love and support of everyone who has made The Davenports possible.
To my parents: I love you. Thank you for believing in me and providing a safe space to believe in myself. Daddy, thank you for letting me hover over your shoulder every time you worked on a car and for your quiet pride, which helped push me forward. Mom, thank you for reading to me until I could read on my own. Then reading every version of this novel until it was ready to share with the world. You are my ideal beta reader and your perceptiveness is invaluable. My love of stories, I learned from you.
To the best siblings I could ask for: thank you, Anthony and Hillary (and Miles) for your joy and confidence. Cake will always be appreciated. Kimberly, thank (and sorry) for your patience as I spoke at you about all the things running through my mind, keeping me humble, and for the beautiful author photo. Brandon, thank you for daring me to try, challenging me and bringing me along on your NaNoWrimo journey. This has truly been the greatest adventure yet. Love you, gremlins.
Tamar Rydzinski, thank you for taking a chance on me. Your wisdom and guidance found The Davenports the perfect home. Thank you for being the champion of my work. You were my dream agent.
To my editor, Jessica Dandino Garrison: Thank you for your brilliant insight. And for taking in stride, the drastic changes to the last third of this novel between drafts. Your care and passion for these four young women and Chicago helped bring this story to life. I can’t wait to geek out on history and romance IRL. You are amazing!
Many thanks to the stellar publishing team at Dial Books. Regina Castillo, aka “Mistress of Logic and Continuity,” your attention to detail allowed this novel to really shine. Thank you, Deanna Halsall for the striking cover, Theresa Evangelista for the beautiful cover design, and Jenny Kelly for the interior—your designs went above and beyond my imagination. To Lauri Hornik and Jen Klonsky and everyone else at Dial and Penguin Random House, I appreciate the time and passion invested in me and this novel.
Viana Siniscalchi, your enthusiasm was everything! Thank you for always being available to talk through any block. You organized my thoughts and I am so grateful. To Sara Shandler, you were a voice of reason that kept me grounded. The rest of team at Alloy Entertainment: Les Morgenstein, Joelle Hobeika, Romy Golan, Josh Bank, Matthew Bloomgarden, Laura Barbiea, and anyone else working behind the scenes, thank you.
The amazing people behind NaNoWrimo and Pitch Wars: You opened a door to a world that welcomed me and introduced me to some of the most wonderfully supportive people I’ve ever met.
To Paulicia Jean Baptiste, my St. Lucian family and anyone who sent well wishes and shared this book, who told me to keep going and cheered me on: Thank you! Ale Barzola, Kendriana Gonzalez, Fiza Awan, Candice Dodd, Jessica Santiago, and Nkechi Wamou. Thank you for your words of encouragement, the memes, and working around my schedule. You are my diamonds.