**** My presentation tracks the images of African Americans in comic books, as created by Black artists and writers. The journey of change begins in the late 1940s and proceeds to the present day.
It begins with the racist, stereotypical portrayals of Blacks as comic foils, servants and savages that were once prevalent in mainstream media and gives a historical perspective of how these eventually led to the more positive images created by present day Black Independent comic Book Publishers.
The presentation showcases my research into the varied and unique comic books produced by this diverse group of artists and writers. It covers a multitude of subjects from history and politics, to popular culture, music and religion. It is enhanced by both historical and contemporary visuals.
I believe conference attendees will find my presentation enlightening, informative and entertaining. I cannot think of a more appropriate forum than this year’s MAPACA conference for this presentation, as the first comic book written, drawn and published by African Americans was produced in Philadelphia (All Negro Comics, 1947.)
About the presenterWilliam Henry Foster
Tenured Professor of English, Naugatuck Valley Community College, Waterbury, CT. Long time researcher and writer on The Changing Image of African Americans in Comics. Two books on topics; Looking for A Face Like Mime, and Dreaming of a Face Like Ours. Twice nominated for Professor of the Year, numerous articles published in journals and on-line. Appearances on CNN News, Public Television and Radio, International speaker on topic (Sweden, United Kingdom, Germany, Coasta Rica, China).