The San Diego Monitor
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The San Diego Monitor
The World of Keithan Jones
The world according premiere graphic novel artist Keithan Jones, San Diego will be yet another home of a worldfamous Con; Black Comix Day. As the founder of the Comix Day, Keithan says this may be the best year ever. Keithan tell SDMNEWS just how being an artist himself and fathering a movement is one heck of a task!
SDM: The concept of Black Comix Day comes out of your love for Comics, of course, but tell us about your journey? KJ: I'm still on my journey. I was originally sucked into the world of comic books and cartoons after seeing Star Wars for the first time at age 6. Not the remakes, the original 1977 debut. It blew my mind and sparked my imagination. As the years went by and I got older, I noticed that most comics didn't feature Black protagonists beyond a simple sidekick or comic relief. Nobody I knew wanted to be those guys, including me. So, I made it my mission to change that narrative and create my own characters that were just as cool as the Marvel & DC characters. But that didn't happen for many years later as I feel into a career as a Graphic Designer to support myself. Continued on pg.5
What do they Want you to KNOW? What Everyone Needs to Know About 2020 Census Questions By law, the U.S. government is required to count the number of people living in the United States every 10 years. Getting an accurate count is important because census numbers impact daily life in the United States in many ways. For example, census data are often used to determine how much federal funding is allocated for important projects and services that benefit local communities. The census also plays a vital role in our nation’s system of government by determining how many representatives will be sent to Congress from each state. Because getting an accurate count is so important, the process is designed to be fast, easy, and safe. On average, it takes no more than 10 minutes to answer the questions on the census. How Are Census Data Collected? During the first census in 1790, census takers visited nearly every U.S. home to gather data. In 2020, households will have the option of responding online, by mail, or by phone. The Census Bureau expects many households to complete the questionnaire online, using instructions received in the mail. These instructions will also include information about how to respond by phone. Some households will receive a printed questionnaire which they can mail, postage-free, back to the
Be Counted! SDMNEWS’S Motivation Information
Census Bureau. A small percentage of households, primarily located in remote areas of the country, will be visited by a census taker who will help collect the necessary information to complete the form. Who Receives the Census Questionnaire and How Is It Filled Out? Most housing units in the United States that receive mail at their physical location will receive a letter by mail with instructions on how to complete the census questionnaire. Housing units include houses, apartments, cabins, mobile homes—pretty much any place where people live in the United States. In areas where the majority of housing units do not have mail delivered to their physical location, census workers will leave questionnaire packages at every identified housing unit. The census process also includes special provisions to count people who are homeless and those in other types of living quarters, such as college dorms, military barracks, ships, prisons, nursing homes, and homeless shelters. The person in the housing unit who fills out the census questionnaire or talks to the census taker is known as Person 1. Typically, Person 1 is the owner/co-owner or renter/corenter of the housing unit. READ MORE sdmonitornews.com
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The San Diego Monitor
SDMN: Why was being an independent artist important to this segment of the industry?
SDMN: What is unique about this year's Black Comix Day 2020?
KJ: I tried to go the traditional route of submitting my portfolio to the major comic companies when I was in my early twenties but that didn't last long. I just didn't have any real desire to draw or write other people's characters- I wanted to forge my own legacy. That was an exciting path to me. Especially after Marvel's top artists in the early 1990's revolted and created an independent company called Image Comics. I was truly feeling that movement. But again, black characters were largely absent as the focal point. Then came a group of professional Black comic creators who teamed up to form a comic line called Milestone Media., distributed by DC Comics. THAT was super exciting to me! That showed me that it was possible to present Black Superheroes in the mainstream media. But alas I was still on the outside looking in. Just struggling along trying to make ends meet, with no real connections to the industry.
KJ: BCD2020 is always unique because Black People creating comics is still a novelty. It's still a subject of anomaly. The media inundates society with this picture of Black folks as only athletes, rappers or comedians. There is a nasty stereotype that Black Americans do not operate on an intellectual level. What's worse is a lot of Black folks themselves have bought into this fallacy. Think about it, even the best athletes are generally the smartest players on the court. The physical is useless without the mental. But I digress. Black Comix Day offers a chance for people to meet the uniquely talented professional black artists in the comics industry.
Looking back at that time, I wasn't ready. Skill-wise I was, but mentally I wasn't. I didn't understand how much power I had to change my circumstances. I had no real mentors around me. Just learning life lessons the hard way- a lot of falling. I maintained a fairly steady career in graphic design and garnered my first full-time design job through the late great Tony Gwynn of The San Diego Padres. His wife Alicia Gwynn was running a company called AG Sport and hired me the day she met me. It was a HUGE blessing because I was down and out at the time, living in a storage room at my mother's small dress shop. I had no computer skills or professional commercial design skills but Mrs. Gwynn was willing to let me learn on the job. From that time on, I was able to stay employed as an artist in some form or capacity.
SDMN: San Diego is very important to the comics world, how are you trying to leverage Black Comix Day with the comics community? KJ: I'm not really. This is a case of having the industry come to us. Enough with the compromising of our visions. That's a huge waste of time and a game I don't wish to play quite frankly. Not everyone wants Chinese Food every night if you know what I mean. SDM: Tell us about your present projects? KJ: Currently I'm finishing up my comic called, The Power Knights. I've published issues 1-4 to this point. Issue 5 will bring it to a close for now. Those books can be purchased through kid-comics.com Outside of my personal projects, I run and manage Black Comix Day in San Diego, CA. every February as a way to honor Black History Month.
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The San Diego Monitor
SDMNEWS Must Read 2020 CA Census Guide Table of Contents Section 1: General Information (PDF) •
Initiative and Referendum Qualification Requirements
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Candidate Qualifications and Information
Section 2: Nomination Requirements (PDF) •
Presidential Candidates
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United States Representative in Congress, and Member of the State Legislature Candidates
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Nomination Documents – Nomination Papers and Declaration of Candidacy
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Signatures In Lieu of Filing Fee
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Signatures In Lieu of Filing Fee and/or Nomination Papers
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Ballot Designations
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In General
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Campaign Filings and Responsibilities
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Candidate Intention Statement
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Campaign Contribution Account
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Exceptions
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Additional Filing Information
Section 3: Candidate Filing Information (PDF) •
Required Filing Fees, Nomination Signatures
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Write-In Candidates for the Office of President
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Write-In Candidates for Voter-Nominated Offices
In-Lieu
Signatures,
Section 4: Candidate Checklist (PDF) •
President of the United States
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United States Representative in Congress
For download please go to www.sdmonitornews.com
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The San Diego Monitor
SDMN: If you could be any superhero who would it be?
Kari Armstead, Keithan Jones, Khaulid Hunter,
KJ: Superman. But Spider-man is my favorite. Superman because he covers all the bases power-wise when I go out in the world and deal with all the knuckleheads- LOL!
LaWana Richmond, Matthew Jones, Michael Scott
SDMN: Tell us about who's gonna be at this year's BCD 2020?
Rodney Anderson Jr, Rosalind Alexander Kasparik
KJ: Who's going to be there? VERY COOL people! Black artists, men and women from all over the United States. Most of them are working for or have worked for the major studios. All of them are independent creators with a desire to put forth original stories with characters of color. Come meet and support these talented members of our community. They need your support! Artists list:
SEE YOU THERE
Adam-Paul Thomas, Andre Owens, Aubree T. Rose, Brandon Thomas, Brian J. Lambert, Crystal C. Marie, Damian Duffy, David Brown, David Phillips Greg Anderson ElysĂŠe, James Merrill, Jason Reeves Jerry Dunham Jr, John Jennings John Kimpson
Nita Painter, Ottis Smith, Robert Love, Robert Roach
Rubyn Warren, Shan Shankaran
Ownership: Operation Next Level
“The next level is ownership.” This was Dawud Anyabwile’s response to an audience question asked in the closing minutes of the “Hip Hop in 3D” panel which took place at the Schomburg Center’s 8th annual Black Comic Book Festival, which took place on January 17-18, 2020. It was a powerful statement that gave the panel’s audience a well-intentioned hit of knowledge and insight that is sure to stay with them for a long time. Dawud is the artist and co-creator of Brotherman, a black superhero/vigilante that fights criminals looking to maintain the tradition of oppression that keeps black communities poor and underdeveloped. Knowing the kind of power that comes with owning his own character, which was co-created with author Guy A. Sims, is what led him to remind everyone why ownership is so crucial in black comic book storytelling. It speaks to truth and representation, something the Black Comic Book Festival has been preaching for eight years now with growing intensity and clarity. This year’s edition—opening 2020 with a healthy dose of hope for more black representation and visibility in comics— managed to feel bigger despite occupying the same amount of physical space the Schomburg provided last year, which is limited and requires careful organization (which the organizers achieved for the most part).
While the festival was crowded and mobility somewhat difficult, the cues for the panels were designated to another location and it did allow for a steadier flow of traffic. There is one reality, however, the festival must contend with every year: the Schomburg isn’t getting any bigger. The fact more people want to be a part of it each year is another worry because of space. Thing is, the Schomburg is deeply ingrained into the event’s identity. They’re inseparable. The Schomburg is the place for the Black Comic Book Festival, no questions asked. Should it ever be moved to another venue, one risks losing some of the magic in the transition. Perhaps transformed is a better way of putting it, but there will be a change in the feel of it should it come to pass. Not that this has been a rumor of some kind or even discussed, to the best of my knowledge. People braved a snowstorm and harsh temperatures to attend the festival, keeping a busy show floor at all hours of the day. Peak time was from opening to closing. All this goes to show just how important this event is to the community. It’s unmissable.
It is, and has been for some time now, a cultural tradition. It is New York culture. Harlem culture. Black culture. The festival and it can be honestly say it still provides one of the most authentic and unique comics experiences in what’s a heavily overcrowded convention field. A lot of it comes down to the festival owning its identity and being aware of the expectations and responsibilities it has to meet, which is why I believe the panel offering has been so compelling and forward-thinking year after year. The aforementioned “Hip Hop in 3D” panel was a highlight. Darryl ‘DMC’ McDaniels (DMC: Darryl Makes Comics), Andre Leroy Davis (known for “The Last Word” column from The Source magazine), and Dawud Anyabwile (Brotherman) spoke to the role and responsibility black creators assume when creating comics in a culture that to this day struggles with creating all-black ensembles at the mainstream level. Davis, for instance, told a story about how working as a freelance artist came with the anxiety and tension of having to present a body of work that showed he could draw white characters. This is despite carrying a portfolio largely comprised of white characters with only a sprinkling of black character designs in it. After seeing how certain publishers fixated on the black designs and questioned his ability to draw white characters, Davis decided to fill his portfolio with black characters only as a challenge to interested parties. Anyabwile added to Davis’ point by stating that this worry over something being too black was difficult to argue as legitimate. He said, “if you put on a blindfold and walk into a comic store, you’ll pick up a comic that’ll satisfy you if white characters is what you want.” The same can’t be said of black comics, he suggested. McDaniels, on the other hand, focused on how comics offered him a template to use when approaching Hip Hop. He said, “When you look at the flawed guy that becomes a superhero, we relate. When that flawed guy becomes superheroic, he becomes something bigger. He tells us we can become that thing as well. That’s how I saw it with Hip Hop. When I’m off-stage I’m Darryl McDaniels, but when I’m up there I’m DMC. I become super. Comics gave us that template. That’s how powerful they are.” These types of perspectives elevated the discourse of comic book representation and made it all the more crucial.
It can mean so many different things to many different people. Tim Fielder (Matty’s Rocket), for instance, spoke about how afro-futurism can extend beyond sci-fi, challenge it even, to acquire even more complex voices in a panel called “Epic Narratives in Comics: Sci-Fi, Afro-Futurism, and Beyond”
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The San Diego Monitor
California Assembly Elects First Woman as Chief Clerk and Parliamentarian Tanu Henry | California Black Media The California Assembly made history last week when it elected the first woman to serve as Chief Clerk and Parliamentarian Jan. 9 for a two-year term. The 80-member lower house of the state legislature voted for, then confirmed and swore in Sue Parker, a long-serving African-American public official, to the Assembly’s nonmember, non-partisan role. Parker, who lives in Elk Grove, is the 40th person to serve in the role since it was first created in 1849. She succeeds E. Dotson Wilson, who is also African American, after he retired in September. “I’m humbled by this opportunity to serve,” Parker told California Black Media. “And I’m honored to be the first woman to do so.” Before assuming her current role, Parker served as Assistant Chief Clerk. In that position, she ran the operations of the Assembly Desk, including updating legislative information on the clerk’s website. She began her career as a Senate fellow, and for the last 20 years, she has served in numerous capacities in that office. She was also the first female to be appointed Reading Clerk. “It has not been an easy road for her. I’m so proud of this accomplishment,” said Taisha Brown, Chair of the California Democratic Party African American Caucus (CDPAAC). “It’s time that a woman got elected to that position and Parker is both qualified and prepared. It is a joy to see so many women stepping into powerful roles in the Democratic Party and the state government.” As Chief Clerk, Parker is charged with publishing all official documents of the House, keeping a record of all proceedings and documenting legislation. She will also ensure that the legislative process is smooth, efficient and fair, and that members follow parliamentary procedure. The same day Parker took the helm of the Chief Clerk’s office, the Assembly also confirmed two more women to the body’s other unelected roles: Alisa Buckley as Chief Sergeant at Arms and the Rev. Patti Oshita as Chaplain.
Photo: (L-R) Alisa Buckley, Chief Sergeant at Arms; Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon; Sue Parker, Chief Clerk and Parliamentarian; and the Rev. Patti Oshita, Chaplain.
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