Announcements – Celebrating Fathers of Color; Racialicious Goes to NYC; Comic Con-Anita Hill- New Black Imagination Meet Up?

I’m working on a children’s book that celebrates engaged fathers with the intent of uplifting families, moms, children… everyone. The language isn’t outwardly political, but it is also about presenting positive images of boys and men of color, especially as integral pieces of loving, thriving families.

I recently launched the project on Kickstarter. Check out its quick 2-minute video:

I’d be really honored if you posted this project on your blog!

The book is for dads, and moms, and single dads, and single moms, and kids. I see engaged fatherhood is key to lifting up our communities. This book counteracts the stereotypes of deadbeat dads of color. It shines love on those fathers out there that are amazing, and making amazing contributions, but invisible within mass culture. It paves the way for this generation of boys to be just as amazing. And from the mom and girl end, I believe that men’s full engagement in family life is key to ending the oppression of women (in so many ways).

Donate here.

Friend of the blog Rob Fields is having Bold As Love‘s Festival of the New Black Imagination, featuring artists like Tamar-Kali, DJ Reborn, Dope Sagittarius, Imani Uzuri, No Surrender, and Saidah Baba Talibah. There are also speakers like Elon James White and Touré, the ringShout folks will be bringing literary hotness and plenty of discussion on the future of black creative power.

They are still fundraising – the easiest way to help out is to buy a ticket. (Or, if you can’t make it, buy the mixtape.)

Cheryl Lynn of Digital Femme sent us a note with the panels that mention race:

Comics Studies Conference 6: Understanding Comics and the Self
Saturday, October 15, 4:00PM – 5:30PM Location: 1B03
Neil Cohn (Tufts University) discusses several psychology experiments measuring reaction time and brainwaves that contribute to our understanding of what goes on in the brain when a person reads a comic and reveals that the understanding of comics involves a complex negotiation between a hierarchic system of narrative and the construction of meaning. CJ Suzuki (Lehigh University) focuses on the ways female Japanese comics creators (mangaka) employ shojo manga to critique, contest, and/or negotiate the hegemonic narratives and ideologies of the nation, gender/sexual normativity, and patriarchal social structure. Jeff Barbanell (Arizona State University) traces and deconstructs the transformation of Native American stereotypes and tropes in the comics medium to demonstrate how to work with elementary and secondary Native American literacy students, using the sequential visual medium of comics.

Always Bet On Black
Saturday, October 15, 7:45PM – 8:45PM Location: 1A02
A multimedia exploration on the history of Black ( African American) heroes Ebony White to The Black Panther from Lando to Spawn. Focusing on their cultural impact, unifying/underlying traits & what the future holds based on what the past his shown us.

And finally, we have a huge conference on the 20th Anniversary of the Anita Hill hearings. Called Sex, Power, and Speaking Truth: Anita Hill 20 Years Later, the conference boasts an amazing line up of speakers:

Witnesses: What Happened?

Maureen Dowd, The New York Times
Lani Guinier, Harvard Law School
Catharine A. MacKinnon, University of Michigan Law School
Charles Ogletree, Harvard Law School
Judith Resnik, Yale Law School
Congresswoman Louise Slaughter, (NY-28th District)
Jamia Wilson, Women’s Media Center

Responders: What Does Anita Hill Mean to You?
Rha Goddess, Move the Crod
Melissa Harris-Perry, Tulane University
Maria Hinojosa, NOW on PBS (Moderator)
Emily May, Hollaback!
Ai-Jen Poo, National Domestic Workers Alliance
Joanne N. Smith, Girls for Gender Equality

Special Lunchtime Discussions

Special Lunchtime discussions hosted by:
American Association of University Women
ACLU Women’s Rights Project
Girls for Gender Equity
Stop Street Harassment
Third Wave Foundation

Keynote Address
Introduction: Patricia J. Williams, Columbia University

Anita Hill
Professor of Law, Public Policy and Women’s Studies
Heller Graduate School of Policy and Management
Brandeis University

What Have We Learned in 20 Years And What Comes Next?
Devon Carbado, UCLA School of Law
Kimberlé Crenshaw, The African American Policy Network
Kathleen Peratis, Outten & Golden, LLP. (Moderator)
Gloria Steinem, Co-founder of Ms. Magazine
Virginia Valian, Hunter College
Julie Zeilinger, FBomb

Closing Remarks
Vita Rabinowitz, Hunter College

“Speaking Truth to Power”A performance
Co-Curated by Eve Ensler and Purva Panday Cullman.
The performance will include original works written by:
Edwidge Danticat
Asali Devan Ecclesiastes
Eve Ensler
Deborah Copaken Kogan
Lisa Kron
Lynn Nottage
Mary Oliver
Kevin Powell
Hope Anita Smith

Andrea Plaid and I will be running around trying to make sure we cover a little bit of everything – but since there is so much of a convergence in NYC, is anyone down for a meet up on that following Sunday, morning or afternoon? Indicate your interest in the comments.

ETA: The meet-up will be at Jing Fong at noon on Sunday, 10/16. The details about the eatery, including which trains to catch to get there, are here. I know I said this in the Comments Section, but I added it here, too, so this info doesn’t get lost in the thread. Thanks!–AJP