Jerry Craft is a syndicated Black cartoonist and children’s book illustrator. In this lecture, Craft will discuss his graphic novel New Kid, which follows the life of “seventh grader Jordan Banks who loves nothing more than drawing cartoons about his life. But instead of sending him to the art school of his dreams, his parents enroll him in a prestigious private school known for its academics, where Jordan is one of the few kids of color in his entire grade.” Additionally, he’ll discuss how the text has recently been weaponized as a political pawn, banned from some libraries and classrooms across the country.

Sponsored by: Education, Political Science, American Studies, Institute for Liberal Arts Committee, Africana Studies, Carolyn Grant Fund, English, Sociology, Art, Urban Studies, Psychological Sciences, Math, and Grand Challenges Program.