Books

Holland Nominated for NAACP Image Award

HUDSON VALLEY PRESS — Jesse J. Holland, best-selling, celebrated author has been nominated for an NAACP Image Award for his original book “Black Panther: Who is the Black Panther?” On the heels of its recent win at the Oscars, Black Panther and related content continues to delight audiences the world over. Jesse’s top-selling book has been recognized for its true-to-comics storyline and riveting writing.

Published

7 years ago

April 2, 2019

HVPress

By Hudson Valley Press

Jesse J. Holland, best-selling, celebrated author has been nominated for an NAACP Image Award for his original book “Black Panther: Who is the Black Panther?” On the heels of its recent win at the Oscars, Black Panther and related content continues to delight audiences the world over. Jesse’s top-selling book has been recognized for its true-to-comics storyline and riveting writing. The awards ceremony were held in Los Angeles on Saturday, March 30, 2019.

Now in celebrating 50th year, the NAACP Image Awards celebrates the accomplishments of people of color across film, literature, television and creative arts. Past award recipients include Oprah Winfrey, Stevie Wonder, Kerry Washington and more. Holland is humbled to be included and recognized for his passion. It’s televised star-studded awards ceremony is highly rated every year. Founded in 1909, the NAACP is the nation’s oldest and largest nonpartisan civil rights organization. Its members throughout the United States and the world are the premier advocates for civil rights in their communities.

Holland continues to be recognized for what has been called one of “the best of the Marvel prose novels.” This award nomination comes on the heels of other awards won by the Black Panther author including receiving Virginia Black History Month award and the Star of Hope award in January of this year. Previous recipients of the Star of Hope include Morgan Freeman, Senator Thad Cochran, and Olivia Manning.

Holland is a reporter and the former president of the Washington Press Club Foundation. He was the first African American ever elected to the Congressional Standing Committee of correspondents, a congressionally created committee of journalists. He is also a member of the National Press Club and one of the creators of the former newspaper comic strip, Hippie and the Black Guy.

This article originally appeared in the Hudson Valley Press.

HVPress

Posts by HVPress

Up Next

New Names Approved For SUNY New Paltz Campus

Don't Miss

Prince’s Longtime Hairstylist Writes New Memoir

HVPress

Click to comment

Black History

George Cook: The Inventor Who Made Fishing Smarter

Published

3 days ago

August 9, 2026

bpusa-syndication

A copy of the patent for George Cook’s Automatic Fishing Device. Public domain.

By Tamara Shiloh

George Cook was a Black American inventor from Louisville, Kentucky. He was born in 1863, during a time when Black Americans faced unfair laws, limited opportunities, and many barriers to education, jobs, and recognition. Even with these challenges, he became known for his intelligence, honesty, and ability to think in practical ways. Some records say he worked as a cook for Buffalo Bill Cody and later as a chef on a private dining car for the Louisville and Nashville Railroad. He was even known by the nickname “Honest Mister Cook.”

As with many Black American inventors and scientists of that era, there is little biographical information about Mr. Cook.

Cook’s most famous invention was the Automatic Fishing Device. He received U.S. Patent No. 625,829 for it on May 30, 1899. His patent shows that he was not just someone with an idea, but someone who made it happen.

So, what did the Automatic Fishing Device do? Imagine fishing with a line in the water. Usually, you have to watch carefully and pull the line at just the right moment when a fish bites. Cook wanted to make that process easier. His device was designed to react when a fish pulled on the line. The tension from the fish would trigger a lever. That lever would release a spring-loaded part of the device, causing it to move quickly and help pull in the line. The device also had an alarm gong that would ring to let the fisher know something was happening.

This invention was important because it used simple mechanical ideas in a clever way. Springs, levers, rails, and alarms were not new by themselves, but Cook combined them to solve a real problem. His device showed how inventors often take familiar parts and arrange them in a new way to make life easier.

Cook looked at fishing and asked, “How can this be improved?” Then, he created a device that could respond automatically when a fish tugged on the line. His invention let fishermen relax instead of watching the line for hours, trusting the alarm to alert them.

Cook may not be as famous as some inventors, but his Automatic Fishing Device shows that creativity and innovation can be applied anywhere. His legacy lives on as part of the larger story of Black innovation in America.