Kadir Nelson is a critically acclaimed artist and illustrator. He began drawing at the age of three, before he could write or spell. His uncle, an artist and art teacher, took him under his wing at the age of 11. He later began entering his paintings in art competitions which ultimately led to an art scholarship to study at Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, New York. Upon graduating with honors, Nelson began his professional career, receiving commissions from Dreamworks, Sports Illustrated, Coca-Cola, and The New York Times, among others.
Nelson is the author and illustrator of the best-selling picture book, We Are the Ship: The Story of Negro League Baseball. One of the illustrations, Game Bus, portrays five members of the Newark Eagles singing on the bus ride to a game. Bus travel was arduous for the Negro Leagues. The buses became home base off the field, as restaurants and hotels were often off-limits to the teams. Song helped relieve the players’ suffering from cramped quarters, little sleep, and insufficient food. They tolerated segregation, hatred, and inhuman conditions for the one thing they loved best: baseball.