61传媒 will present a talk by satirical race-relations comic strip creator Aaron McGruder titled “What’s the Color of Comedy: Race, Society, and Comic Strips” on Thursday, February 7, at 7 p.m. in the Hampton Room of the Malott Commons on the 61传媒campus. Immediately following the lecture will be a reception and book signing. This event, which is co-sponsored with student group WanawakeWeusi, is free and open to the public.
McGruder’s strip, “The Boondocks,” features young urban African-American characters that are thrust into the life of “white” suburbia. Since its 1999 national syndication debut in more than 150 newspapers, “The Boondocks” has been a subject of controversial coverage, with opponents claiming the themes and statements presented in the comic are overtly biased.
McGruder is a graduate of the University of Maryland with a degree in Afro-American studies. He has published two collections of “The Boondocks” and is currently developing an animated “Boondocks” series for television. McGruder appears at 61传媒as part of a lecture series honoring the college’s 75th anniversary.