The Adventures of JJ and Mr. Smith crystal book contains a lot of interesting and colorful artwork.
Here are the inspirations for those images. Can you find each inspiration in the book?
MYCRYSTAL POWERS INSPIRATION
Michaela DePrince
(Image PHOTOGRAPHED BY ABBEY DRUCKER)
Inspired by a magazine cover of a ballerina she found and kept while in Sierra Leone, Michaela DePrince trained as a ballet dancer, performing at the Youth America Grand Prix among other competitions.
Born as Mabinty Bangura into a Muslim family, she grew up as an orphan in Sierra Leone after her uncle brought her to an orphanage during the civil war. In 1999, at the age of four. DePrince was adopted by Elaine and Charles DePrince and taken to the United States. She now dances for the Boston Ballet.
Haja Musu
JJ’s Great Grandmother and the author’s,
Dan Moijueh, grandmother.
Haja Musu Koroma Moijueh, grandmother of author Daniel Moijueh Jr, was married to Daniel’s grandfather WW II Vet Sinneh Moijueh. Grandma Haja Musu and Sinneh had 7 children together.
Grandma Haja Musu was instrumental in helping Daniel escape the 11-year civil war in Sierra Leone when he got stuck there during the January 6 1999 rebel invasion of Freetown. Daniel took the risk to visit his mother in the war torn country and his grandmother bravely sheltered Dan along with her other grandchildren, fleeing with them to neighboring country Guinea and then eventually to Gambia.
The Moijueh stayed in the Gambian evacuation camp as refugees until the family were able to return back to the United States in 2001. Grandma Haja Musu has sadly passed away in 2005 but is still a great inspiration to Daniel with her unyielding bravery and resiliency.
Michelle Obama
(Image from National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution)
Michelle Obama, wife of former President Barack Obama, is an American attorney and author who served as First Lady of the United States (2009 - 2017). She was the first African-American woman to serve in this position.
As first lady, Obama served as a role model for women and worked as an advocate for poverty awareness, education, nutrition, physical activity, and healthy eating. She supported American designers and was considered a fashion icon. This portrait by artist Amy Sherald with Obama wearing a MILLY dress designed by Michelle Smith hangs in the National Postrait Gallery.
After her husband’s presidency, Obama’s influence has remained high. In 2020, Obama topped Gallup’s poll of the most admired woman in America for the third year running.
Her Excellency
Rev. Dr. Asie Ocansey
Her Excellency Her Excellency Rev. Dr. A.K. Ocansey, is a world renowned philanthropist and Princess born in Ghana to the late Nene Akrofi Kubi III, Kingmaker of the Ada Traditional Area and Mrs. Millicent Ocansey. Princess Ocansy is the Executive Chairperson of the Nekotech Center of Excellence and Founder of the Nekotech Center for Labour Migration Diplomacy.
She has won awards including the prestigious USA Ron Brown Award for International Trade and Good Ethics, the CELD award for Excellence in Migration and Security, Dubai, and the GPA awards, UK, the Ma Africa Awards in South Africa, for her humanitarian work in HIV/AIDS.
Josephine Baker
(Image Transcendental Graphics — Getty Images)
Josephine Baker was an icon of the Jazz Age and a star performer at the Paris cabaret music hall Folies-Bergère. She remains well-known for the comedic elements of her performances. This legendary African-American performer also became a key figure in the American civil rights movement throughout the 1950s and 1960s.
In addition to performing for wartime troops, she is said to have delivered military intelligence messages written in invisible ink on sheet music to aid the French Resistance movement during World War II. Such acts of heroism later earned her the Croix de Guerre, and she was named a Chevalier of the Legion of Honor by French President Charles de Gaulle.
Kobe and Gigi Bryant
Kobe Bean Bryant, nicknamed the {Black Mamba}, is an American professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association. He entered the NBA directly from high school, and has played for the Lakers his entire career, winning five NBA championships.
The 41-year-old and eight other people, including his 13-year-old daughter Gianna, lost their lives when the helicopter crashed in Calabasas, California, northwest of Los Angeles on January 26, 2020.
The tragedy was made even more poignant by the fact Bryant died alongside his teenage daughter Gigi, who was a regular presence courtside during his late father, NBA career.
Bryant coached Gigi, basketball team on a number of occasions and had repeatedly said in interviews his 13-year-old daughter was a far better player than he was at her age. Bryant always took pride that he was described as a “girl dad” (he is survived by his wife and three daughters).
Jurassic Park Amber egg
Remember this iconic scene from the first Jurassic Park movie? This amber egg with the prehistoric mosquito sparked an exciting storyline when dinosaurs started to walk the earth again.
Back to the Future Car
Everybody recognizes that famous car backside. This My Crystal Powers book pays tribute to this time-travelling DeLorean car, specifically the 1981 DeLorean DMC-12. Can you spot where this car is in the book?