When a student receives a family-tree assignment in school and can only trace back three generations, Grandma gathers the whole family, and the student learns that 400 years ago, in 1619, their ancestors were stolen and brought to America by European enslavers. But before that, they had a home, a land, a language.

She learns how the people said to be born on the water survived.

How they planted dreams and hope.

How they learned new words for love for friend for family

for joy

for grow for home.

With lyrical verse by Pulitzer Prize winning journalist Nikole Hannah-Jones and Newbery Honor-winning author Renée Watson and striking illustrations by Nikkolas Smith, this powerful picture book from The 1619 Project provides a pathway for readers of all ages to reflect on the origins of American identity by chronicling the consequences of slavery and the history of Black resistance in the United States.