THE DEEPEST BLUE

A Black child’s dive into the deep blue sea leads to a sacred encounter with a sunken slave ship.

“Come and take a trip into / the biggest, brightest, bluest blue. // Where buoys bounce. / Where I am brave. / Where divers dip / below the waves.” At first glance, this appears to be a lighthearted swimming story, but, as readers soon discover, it’s much more—a reckoning beneath the sea. As the youngster descends and comes across the ancient ship, the setting darkens and history begins to surface: “A deeper dive. / A closer look. / A thousand hands the ocean took. // What happened here? Where did they go? / What were their names? I want to know.” Communing with the spirit of another youngster, our protagonist is immersed in the past, encountering the souls of the ancestors: “the rhythmic rap of dancing drums; / Asante, Bono, Fanti tongues.” Both text and art are filled with lush imagery; Minter’s luminous artwork juxtaposes the child against the bright blue ocean and line drawings of the Sankofa bird, an Adinkra symbol embraced across the African diaspora that represents the ability to learn lessons from the past while moving forward. Backmatter explaining the Sankofa symbol or the history of slave ships and wrecks would have strengthened the work; young readers will need some grounding from educators or caregivers. Still, the narrative offers a moving reflection on remembrance, healing, and reconciliation.

A potent meditation that twines past with present.