Black History Month: Jonathan Harris
Welcome to the third full week of Black History Month! I have more inspiring visual and literary artists to share. Let’s talk about:
I think of Jonathan Harris as an artist who’s clearing space for other stories to be told, and ensuring the ones we have don’t get lost. In 2021, his painting “Critical Race Theory” went viral because of its clear-cut opposition to the erasure of Black history. Its fame and relevance has only grown since then. Some reasons to anticipate more from this artist:
His insistence on drawing a bright line between the past and the present
The directness of his work’s messaging, in spite of trolls who (still) try to redefine Critical Race Theory as proof of the “Great Replacement” conspiracy theory
His use of symbols reminds me of official head-of-state oil portraits that contain objects hinting at the person’s status or personality.
And it doesn’t hurt that Beyoncé — in the midst of winning the most Grammy Awards ever — is spreading the word about his talent. If you’re in the Detroit area, you have [looks at watch] five more days to visit “Critical Condition.” If that means you have to stop reading and get a plane ticket, don’t let me distract you: you can always catch up on my blog post series tomorrow.
Black History Month: Nnedi Okorafor
Happy Friday! For today’s Black History Month post, I’d like to introduce you to a writer who jumps back and forth between media as easily as other people switch from jackets to coats in winter. Let’s talk about:
Author Nnedi Okorafor. Photo credit: Neilson Barnard/ Getty Images/ nnedi.com
In ancient times, before the internet, I used to find new authors by buying and reading anthologies. I discovered Nnedi Okorafor in an anthology of Black speculative fiction. Her short story stayed with me because the main character broke the fourth wall at the end to speak directly to the reader. Years later, I found one of her novels, and found she’s also a great world-builder who believes there are Black people in the future.
Cover of “Binti” by Nnedi Okorafor (via Nnedi.com)
Besides novels, she’s written comic books — ones she’s created, as well as writing three Black Panther comic series for Marvel. A few things I like about Okorafor’s work:
Did I mention ‘Black people in the future’ yet? And they’re not just sidekicks or Magical Negroes
She’s prolific: 16 books that I know of, so I’m not going to run out of material anytime soon
Most of her characters are modern-day or future Nigerians, so I get to read about Black people outside of North America.
I’m hoping Okorafor’s work will make it to the screen: HBO is developing a series based on Who Fears Death, and another company is developing the Binti series. Not expecting either of them anytime soon, though. Who Fears Death has been sitting at HBO since 2017, even though George R.R. Martin (the Game of Thrones author) and actress Tessa Thompson were supposed to be involved. Hulu has optioned Binti, but then the pandemic struck. Somebody needs to get these productions back on track.
Next week, we’ll take a look at some of my favorite provocateurs. See you Monday for another post on Black artists who inspire me.
Black History Month: Matthew A. Cherry
In my Black History Month blog series, I’ve focused on visual artists and writers of literature. Today I’m doing something a little different: I’m spotlighting a writer working in film. Let’s talk about:
My family discovered Matthew A. Cherry and the short film “Hair Love” back when it was a Kickstarter project. Artist Vashti Harrison illustrated it, while Cherry wrote and co-directed it. They were raising funds to complete the film, and after watching the film, we happily contributed to its financing. Cherry initially asked the internet for $75,000; he received more than $300,000. Some of the reasons I love this work are the same as Cherry’s motivations to create it:
It shows a positive depiction of Black fathers
It’s honest about (the challenge and) the beauty of Black hair
As you can see in the video title, “Hair Love” won the 2020 Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film. It’s also been turned into a children’s book. According to Wikipedia, Cherry is now working on a 12-episode animated series for HBO Max called Young Love; it’s scheduled to premiere sometime in 2023.
Tomorrow, I’ll introduce you to a writer with pop culture as well as literary cred. See you soon.