Jean Carey Bond facts for kids

Jean Carey Bond is an American writer and activist. She writes books for both kids and adults. She was part of important groups like the Harlem Writers Guild and the Black Arts Movement.

One of her most famous books is Brown is a Beautiful Color. This children's book helps a Black child discover the beauty of his own skin color. He learns this by finding many brown things around him. Jean Carey Bond was married to the architect Max Bond from 1961 until he passed away in 2009.

Early Life and Family

Jean Carey Bond was born in Harlem, New York City. Her father, Richard Carey, was one of the first heart surgeons in Harlem. She was an only child. Her uncle was Benjamin J. Davis Jr..

As a child, Jean spent time in both Harlem and Greenwich Village. She went to the Little Red School House in Greenwich Village.

Marriage and Moving to Ghana

Jean Carey married J. Max Bond Jr. in 1961. Max Bond was an architect who studied at Harvard University. He had moved to New York from France in 1960.

In 1964, Jean and Max moved to Accra, Ghana. They were inspired by Pan-Africanism, which is a movement to unite people of African descent. They also liked Ghana's progressive political ideas at the time. Max Bond became an architect for Ghana's leader, Kwame Nkrumah.

Writing and Activism in Africa

While in Ghana, Jean Carey Bond started writing for magazines. She wrote for Freedomways and African Review. She became a contributing editor for Freedomways. She wrote for this magazine until it stopped being published in 1985.

Her articles in Freedomways talked about important topics. These included racial discrimination, black power, civil rights, and feminism. She also wrote the first essay for an issue about the famous writer Lorraine Hansberry.

Brown is a Beautiful Color

In 1969, Jean Carey Bond published her well-known children's book, Brown is a Beautiful Color. This book teaches children to appreciate their own skin color. It shows how the color brown is found in many beautiful things in the world.

Returning to New York and Continued Work

Jean Carey Bond and Max Bond moved back to New York in 1967. They had two children together, named Carey and Ruth.

In 1996, Jean Carey Bond visited Cuba. She was part of a group of African Americans led by Manning Marable. They talked about Cuba and its connections with African Americans.

In 1998, she helped start the Black Radical Congress. This group works for social change. She also helps advise the New York City Commission on Human Rights. She is a founding board member of Lee Chamberlin's Playwrights Inn Project, working with people like Lenny Kravitz.