Jim Haskins (b.1941) graduated from New York University in 1968. He has worked as a stock market trader in New York City and as a teacher. He has written many books for adults and children. His children's books include Black Dance in America: A History Through Its People, Black Music in America, Get on Board: The Story of the Underground Railroad, and Outward Dreams: Black Inventors and Their Inventions. "Madam C. J. Walker" was taken from One More River to Cross: The Stories of Twelve Black Americans.