Acclaimed children’s book author Don Tate is back in Iowa, reading his books out loud and giving lectures. Tate grew up in the Chautauqua Parkway neighborhood. He attended what was then called Des Moines Technical High School, and later, Des Moines Area Community College. He has written and/or illustrated more than 90 books over the years that bring attention to Black historical figures. He is the founder of the Brown Bookshelf, where Black children’s writers advocate for each other’s work.
Tate also worked as a graphics reporter at the Des Moines Register and Austin American-Statesman newspapers. He is the nephew of journalist Eleanora E. Tate, one of the first African American reporters for the Des Moines Register.
Tate spoke at the Forest Avenue Library in Des Moines on Dec. 12. The crowd laughed as he acted out a silly poem, made art from squiggles and explained why he loves his stories.
IPR’s Lucia Cheng chatted with Tate about how growing up in Des Moines influences his work today. The following interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Can you tell us about your relationship to your aunt, Eleanora E. Tate?
Tate: Eleanor was my famous aunt. It was really exciting to have this famous aunt who was one of the first African Americans to work at the Des Moines Register, and she was a reporter and a journalist at the Iowa Bystander. Anytime that I would mention that my name is Don Tate, I get, “Are you related to Eleanora Tate?”
When she moved away, she started writing novels for young people. One of those novels, Just an Overnight Guest, was adapted into a movie starring Richard Roundtree and Rosalind Cash. It debuted at the Des Moines Public Library downtown. The movie stars were there, the reporters were there and people came out to celebrate my aunt. That was the first time that I saw myself as a possible children's book creator.
My aunt spoke that night about the importance of centering Black characters and stories that had been erased or missing from stories historically. And that night, I saw myself as a storyteller only. I didn't see myself as a writer at that time, I said I would eventually tell stories with pictures. I didn't come around to writing until many years later.
I was a dark-skinned, skinny kid, and in our society, we're often taught that the dark-skinned kids aren't as capable. Dark-skinned kids aren't as smart. The dark-skinned kids don't have the brightest future. So, oftentimes I had low self-esteem.
I was a very shy kid. But my Aunt Eleanor was a very dark-skinned African American woman with a very short afro, who always proudly wore her dashiki, which is an African print shirt. She was very Afrocentric and she was very focused on teaching us about African American historical figures. And my aunt — my dark skinned, Afrocentric Aunt Eleanor — taught me to be proud of who I am, taught me to be proud to be an African American. She taught me that Black is beautiful. And that is how I was able to overcome a lot of my insecurities.
What was it like growing up in Des Moines?
Tate: I'm currently working on a young adult memoir. I drove in this [Thursday] morning to drive through my old neighborhood. I took swimming lessons at Birdland swimming pool, I would go bike riding and play at Union Park, and I would slide down the rocket slide. I would go to Riverview Park. I have all of those great memories of Des Moines that are going to eventually go into my young adult memoir.
The couple of years that I went through junior high school, my parents divorced. Some of the universal themes and struggles that teenagers go through when their parents separate — and then ultimately divorce — these kinds of stories can help children to puzzle out some of the issues that they may be going through at home as well.
As the author, telling my own story, oftentimes I feel too close to it. I'll go back and I'll listen to the music of the time period that I went through in middle school, and I can't even put anything on paper because I just become overwhelmed with the emotion of it.
I listened to Earth, Wind and Fire, Con Funk Shun and Funkadelic — anything R&B, anything funk — the Commodores. "Flashlight," that would be my song right there.
There was a library, not too far from the Chautauqua Parkway neighborhood. I have so many fond memories of going down into the gully, crossing the creek, coming up over the side and going to the library on the other side. I would go there and make crafts because there were smart librarians there who created makerspaces, and they probably inspired many young artists or many future engineers right there in that library.
I call myself the "Iowa boy." That may be the title of my memoir, I’m not sure yet.
Your book 'Carter Reads the Newspaper: The Story of Carter G. Woodson, Founder of Black History Month' was banned in Florida. What do you think about book bans?
Tate: Book banning makes me sad. Authors pour their hearts into telling very important stories. Oftentimes, these stories take years to write, to edit and to get out into the world. To have them banned, that just makes it hard for authors.
But more importantly, I'm sad for the students, for children who need those stories. Most of the stories that are getting banned today are of the stories and the history of people who look like me.
There was an author who changed my life. His name was Richard Wright, and the story was called Black Boy. If I had not discovered Black Boy as a young reader, I would not be sitting here today doing this interview with you as a published author. That book changed my life. But that book has also been challenged and banned, so I can't imagine what would have happened if Black Boy had been banned from the library where I actually discovered it. So book bans, they hurt children, they hurt authors, they hurt society.
Why do you write and illustrate books for children?
Tate: Children are smart, and it is so important as writers that we respect that they’re intelligent and not write down to them. When I go into an elementary school and the kids have read my stories, they ask some fantastic questions and we have some really great discussions. It's because they are smart. You’re not going to fool them.
I spent the last couple of days speaking in schools in Iowa City, and I received some feedback from some of the teachers who told me things like, “After your presentation, a student walked up and told me that, 'Hey, I want to grow up and become an author just like Don Tate.'” I didn't know that I could do that. I feel gratified that my presentations and that my stories are inspiring the next generation of storytellers.
I don't remember having authors come to my school and speak — most definitely not African American authors. It is really important that authors are bought together with young readers to inspire a love of reading.
One of my earliest memories was my mom taking me to an art lesson at one of the elementary schools one evening. I remember the artist, his name was Brother Larry Harris, and he taught us how to draw a face. He framed the face in a big, curly afro. Years later, I still use the techniques of Brother Larry Harris and my drawings that I learned as an 8-year-old kid. That is why these kinds of visits with authors and artists are so important, because they're creating memories that children will carry with them for a lifetime.
