The Ultimate July 4th Celebration: A Seven Million Steps Q&A with Derrick Barnes and Frank Morrison

Nonfiction for kids. It used to suck. Now it’s awesome.

That’s gonna be a tagline for something someday. It should, technically, be shoved in the face of parents and guardians everywhere, though. Folks need to know that the pathetic excuse for nonfiction that we had as kids (this take is so non-controversial it almost makes me sad) is a thing of the past. Put frankly, informational kids books today are covering topics that have been ignored, not simply in titles for youth, but in titles for adults as well.

Case in point, today’s book.

The sesquicentennial is upon us this year, and as such there are a LOT of rah-rah-America books out there. There are also, amusingly, a fair number of books looking back at the Bicentennial of 1976. The book Seven Million Steps by Derrick Barnes and Frank Morrison (out now) discusses that time, sure, but it also touches on another topic that is horrendously prevalent today: hunger in America. With SNAP benefits disappearing, food stamp programs vanishing, and other safety nets putting kids in danger, this book has never been more timely. Why? You’re about to find out.

For those of you unfamiliar with Seven Million Steps, its publisher describes it in this manner:

1 man. 1,011 hours. 3,200 miles. 7 million steps.

What would you do?

In April of 1976, Dick Gregory sets off on a Herculean and grueling two-and-a-half month run. His goal: to raise awareness about the epidemic of poverty and food insecurity in America.

Sleeping in motels and consuming nothing but fruit juices, vitamins and water, he runs from Los Angeles to New York City. And in each city, he stops to speak the truth about injustice. About the plight of the penniless. About the hopeless.

Lyrical text, stunning art, and compelling backmatter come together to ask you—yes you—what would you do if you had a wild idea to stand up for something you believe in? Find out how far Dick Gregory’s belief in feeding the hungry took him in this unforgettable story of an incredible journey that still reverberates today.

Today, author Derrick Barnes and illustrator Frank Morrison took the time to talk to me about the book itself.

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Betsy Bird: Derrick! Boy, it’s great seeing another book out from you. And not just any book but a nonfiction historical title as well. I’ve been sort of buried under a sea of Sesquicentennial publications this year, all very rah rah ‘merica and all that. SEVEN MILLION STEPS, however, stands out from the pack. This book is this marvelous pinpointing of a single man’s work during an extraordinary time. How did you first hear about Dick Gregory’s run and what gave you the idea to write about it?

Derrick Barnes: I had always known of his commitment to maintaining a healthy mind, body, and spirit through clean eating and exercise. His many protests that involved the self-sacrifice of fasting for days on end to protest food and employment insecurities, women’s rights, and racism are legendary. But I didn’t know of this particular run until I saw the documentary The One and Only Dick Gregory in 2021.

BB: And Frank! You’re having a helluva year, I gotta say. I mean, first there was that image you created for the MELODIES OF THE WEARY BLUES poetic compendium that’s like The Raft of the Medusa for kids.

Frank Morrison: You got it! When I started doing research for Weary Blues, I looked for works that showcased diversity and power. I drew on the art of Thomas Hart Benton, who I think has  intense energy in his compositions, and more spiritual pieces like The Resurrection by El Greco. Studying these artists made it clear that composition dictates meaning—with a triangle, the apex signifies importance, power, and reverence. In  my reinterpretation, I centered the African American figures at that peak in order to transform a more traditional visual hierarchy into a statement of cultural affirmation. I like to challenge historical omissions in my work by elevating Black identity into spaces that are, again, traditionally reserved for divinity or heroic figures. The dynamism of the piece itself becomes the message.

BB: Well, and now you have this incredible book about Dick Gregory out at the same time. How were you approached about this project and what appealed to you about it?

Frank: Derrick and I made a pact a couple of years ago to work together. When he approached me about Seven Million Steps, it was a serendipitous moment—funnily enough, I was actually drinking Dick Gregory’s Caribbean Shake at the time. Of course, it was an immediate YES, like getting a call to join the Dream Team. 

As to what appealed to me, the short answer is my family was poor. I remember FISH, a program that distributed food to the needy who regular  dropped food off at our front door. Dick ended his Food Run in NYC on the bicentennial celebration of our country. Fifty-plus years later, we’re still talking about food insecurity. I’m just trying to do my part by collaborating with this amazing team, visualizing a world where everyone has their basic needs met. This is not about us, it’s about the people. During the pandemic, the world came together and mobilized in response—can you imagine if we had that kind of stance for the poor and hungry?

BB: Now Derrick, what was it about this event that appealed to you specifically?

Derrick: Again, his commitment to self sacrifice, along with how he lived his life as a ‘free man’, meaning he did not let limitations, fear, or any oppositional factors aimed at stopping him from doing the good work from stopping him. If there is going to be real change in this country, in this world, we are going to have to give of ourselves to make sure that others are treated fairly, that others don’t have to go without, and that decency and equality are universally accepted as rights for every human being.

BB: Right from the start this book announces itself as different from a lot of the history picture books you see. It makes the young reader confront a very real question at the very very beginning of the book: “…What would you do if you knew someone who goes to bed every night hungry?” You’ve immediately put the question that this book hinges on directly to the child. Instant engagement acquired! I’ve so little sense of your process, though. When you were working on this manuscript, when did you make that choice for an opening? And why?

Derrick: My agent, Regina Brooks, early on in my career, would always tell me when I had public speaking events, regardless of what it was, keynote, school visit, hopefully award banquets, that if I planned on being an activist with my words, that I needed to leave the audience with a task. They needed to understand that my words were not just enough to move the needle, especially if I wrote something that moved them to action. They needed to have skin in the game, the reader. I’ve always held on to that. I’ve always hoped that children want to carry my books with them wherever they traveled, for inspiration, for a mood booster, but also for a guide to become the next generation of ‘difference makers’.

BB: I love that. Okay, let’s talk a little research. Frank, when you do a biographical work like this, what kind of research do you have to do? Do you look at photos vs. videos? Both? Neither? How do you capture the soul of the subject on the page?

Frank: Reviewing photos and video are a part of my process. To express a person’s spirit in my art, I begin by working on character sketches, really nailing down their mannerisms and movement.  I think a lot about the individual people we see in the story and their emotions, and how to portray them in a way that would complement Derrick’s text. And of course, the negative space on the page lets the text shine, in addition to allowing the reader insight into what goes through a man’s mind on such a lonely journey.

BB: How much did the preliminary sketches you made for this book resemble the final product? Were there any significant changes between the start and the finish?

Frank: We were blessed with a smooth venture and minor changes. I do my best work when I’m passionate about the character and story; it helps me visualize the movements and emotions like the loneliness of Dick’s journey, but also the enthusiasm he brought to it.

BB: Derrick, this book was paired with the incomparable art of Frank Morrison. What does Frank bring to this book that no one else possibly could?

Derrick: We actually had a big meeting, a Zoom, before an illustrator was picked. There was a list of highly accomplished, super talented illustrators, but I couldn’t stop thinking about Frank’s style really being the one to put this story in motion. We’ve been knowing each other for over a decade. One time we ran into each other in an airport, I think in Baltimore, and we chopped it up over a couple of burgers. I told him how he was on my bucket list of artists to work with (Jerry Pinkney, Floyd Cooper, Bryan Collier, E.B. Lewis and James Ransome as well). We made a one sided, verbal agreement that he owed me a book before we got too busy or too old. So , I got off of that Zoom with the Seven Million Steps team, called him and told him about the project and that it was time to honor that promise so that I could check one of the illustrator G.O.A.T.s off of my bucket list. He agreed and did what he always does—-make a beautiful, classic book.

BB: And Frank, talk about collaborating with Derrick. Is it entirely separate or is there any kind of interaction?

Frank: I think it comes as a surprise to people not in the industry, but generally there’s not a lot of direct interaction between authors and illustrators. For this project, Derrick and I had totally separate operations. He trusted me to bring the story to life in my own way, and I think that trust is vital because it allows the art and text to feel like they’ve come together in a natural, almost symbiotic way.

BB: Finally, what else can we hope for from you two? What are you working on next? (you always always seem to be working!)

Derrick: Can’t let any grass grow under my feet. I’m trying to leave good work behind. Honest work. In 2027 were dropping a picture book entitled You’ll remember Sycamore about the importance of ‘home’ and how that shapes the way we see the world, our neighbors, fellow cititzens, etc. It’s illustrated by the artist that did my picture book I Got You, the uber talented Shamar Knight-Justice. I feel like were going to blow a lot of minds with the Dan Lish illustrated picture book, Wonder Love which is a poem, a middle grade book about the musician that really motivated me to become a writer—-Stevie Wonder. We’re also releasing a YA, non fiction collection of essays and poems entitled Do It For The People. It’s about the sports culture in America and the fallacy of sports bringing us all together, especially when athletes, Black athletes that I highlight, were demonized for using their platforms, risking their lives to protest racism in America. That book will have some really powerful artwork in it from my old friend, my brother Gordon C. James. Vanessa Brantley Newton and I will be dropping our first early reader series entitled The Great Big Life of Leo, about a six year old Black boy from Charleston, SC, whose family moves to NY to take on an inherited restaurant. Leo has three new stuffed animal friends that will help him to navigate NY, Brooklyn specifically. Lot’s of work on the way. I. Don’t Sleep.

Frank: I just returned from a  fine art show in Chicago and have another one coming up in New York. There are a few picture books in the works that I’m really excited about. I’m working on my next author-illustrated project, to be announced.  Simon & Schuster tapped me for The Notorious Brer Rabbit, which allows me to expand my repertoire with anthropomorphic animals, and I’m illustrating Those Nicholas Brothers Could Move for Penguin Random House. When I was young, I did house dancing and studied the Nicholas Brothers, and it’s a dream to celebrate them.

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Huge thanks to both Derrick and Frank for taking the time to talk to me today. Seven Million Steps is, as I mentioned before, on shelves now. Thanks too to Jenny Lu and the team at Harper Collins for helping to put this talk together. Both important and beautiful (an incredible twofer), look for it in libraries and bookstores everywhere.

Filed under: Best Books, Best Books of 2026, Interviews