Erica Buddington is so DOPE

 

video link

 

I first came across Erica Buddington through the many Black history videos she was doing on YouTube. As an artist who does Black, AAPI, and Women's history art I was immediately juiced to see how she was offering so much knowledge.

video link

The Classroom Rebel podcast interview is dope and here is another interview she did w/ The Grio's Natasha S. Alford. Ok, follow Erica here on IG and her company Langston League!

Dig this? Check out this interview w/ educator and Ethnic Studies advocate Art Nelson Concordia

LLAG Radio - Art Nelson Concordia interview

 

video link

This is a really great interview with educator, activist, and dad Art Concordia Nelson about his work in Ethnic Studies. He has been a teacher in schools for over 20 years, was instrumental to the fight for ethnic studies in San Francisco public schools, Ethnic Studies as a requirement for all California high schoolers, and is now working on a program in Santa Barbara.

Some of my favorite topics he brought up in this video are:

• Ethnic Studies going from the margins to the center and the attacks that come with that
• Why Ethnic Studies and Critical Race Theory are under scrutiny and threat
• How race was invented to divide people
• The path of inquiry to understand systems
• The experience of working with young people and the responses or questions they have
• Anti Oppression/ Anti Racism
• Sorting neighborhoods into workers, managers, and owners

There were more gems but heres a good quote: "Ethnic Studies is history from the perspective of racialized communities of color"

Dig this? Check out my last Ethnic Studies in Every School painting and the Coalition for Liberated Ethnic Studies

Teach the Children the Truth (podcast) -Marisa Villegas

 

Juiced to share this podcast by ethnic studies teacher and professor Marisa Villegas. 

"Ms V" as I call her taught my son when he was a student in the Oakland Unified School District at a bilingual school in East Oakland. She has been teaching for decades and like me is a Berkeley High school grad. In this show she gets into her story as a teacher, her tactics for teaching, and I'm excited to hear more. Listen to the introduction to the podcast and share with ethnic studies teachers. If you follow me you know I ride for this.

Dig this? Check out my last Inspiration board and my latest Ethnic Studies painting

Inspiration board 42

 

Yall, it gives me so much pleasure to share some of the things I'm seeing, hearing, feeling, reading, learning from, and getting inspired by. PLEASE check out some of these people, things, etc and get inspired!!! Here are they are left to right, top to bottom.

1. Snapdragon by Kat Leyh (graphic novel) Witches, Queer identity, etc

2. Eve Ewing (Author/Educator) writes about super heroes, school closures, and science

3. Vamos! by Raul the Third (Picture book) Bilingual literacy, Latinx, kids lit

4. A Tradition of Violence by Cerise Castle (podcast) LA Sheriff gangs, journalism, police brutality

5. Sebastian Mikael's new EP Phileo (Soul Music) Soul, hip hop

6. Pinocchio by Guillermo Del Toro (Animated film) stop motion, 

7. Alvin Irby founder of Barbershop Books (Interview) activism, literacy, black boys

8. I am the Subway by Kim Hyo Eun (Picture book) train, humanity, working class

9. Nala Sinephro's album Space 1.8 (Jazz music) jazz, experimental jazz, harp

10. Abel Cruz's fog nets (Water) BBC, World hacks, water crisis, fog nets, peru

11. Sibylline Meynet (Artist) illustration, gouache, artist

12. Afu Chan's Outer Darkness (Artist) comics, illustration

13. Ovarian Psycos (Documentary) cycling, women's rights, trauma, women

14. Noni Sessions (Activist) East Bay Permanent Real Estate Coop, coop's, land, activism

15. Coop Conversations (Podcast) Cooperative housing, podcasts, coop's, alternative housing

16. Teach the Children the Truth by Marisa Villegas (Podcast) Ethnic studies, Raza Studies, education

Did you miss the previous inspiration board? Here are a few 

Inspiration board 41

Inspiration board 40

 

What's this? This inspiration board is one of the ways I stay inspired and sane through all of life's trials, and tribulations, work, etc. I've been making inspiration boards full of films, books, music, events, people, artists, movements, and more for over a decade. Do you have an inspiration board? Please share in the comments.

Who am I? My name is Rob and I'm an artist working in kid lit, public art, and other disciplines. Go to my website, or follow me on IG or YouTube. 

You can purchase my book "Art of Rob" here

Martín Alberto Gonzalez - Counter Storytelling

In this audio Martín breaks down some really dope ideas about how academia is challenging for first gen college students. He talks about how to empower these students by reminding them of the expertise and knowledge they possess, how to use more multimedia and multimodal approach when making an argument. This involves critical race theory, audio, and story telling!! Listen.

Check out this Oxnard professor's work here. 

Dig this? Check out this interview w/ Laura Briggs
 

Ethnic Studies in Every School 2- Purple

 

Just painted this new joint before the San Jose Made show and LOVE LOVE LOVE how it came out. I get in a rut sometimes and returning to this subject matter and composition really helped me do my thing and get loose. Check out some of the process art for this one below.

If you'd like a print of this bad boy, please visit my shop at THIS LINK

What is Ethnic Studies? Short version is that US history is Eurocentric and throughout time either mis-characterized, ignored, or completely barred stories and history from African American, Native American, Latinxs, and Asian Americans. I throw in Middle Eastern families as well. In the late 60s San Francisco State University (my 1st college) and then UC Berkeley were the first schools in the US to create college departments that housed teachers and courses dedicated to some of this knowledge. And to be frank, it is not just about a diverse we are the world photo. It's a bout understanding systems, power, challenging that, and changing the narrative. And that is why some are terrified of it.

Did you like this? Check out the previous "Ethnic Studies In Every School" painting I did (2019). Oh, and have you ever heard of Dolores Huerta? The Contract Buyers League? What about Marie Butchie Tom?

photo credit: My Momma!

Read Banned Books

 

Here's a new print for all the lovers of banned books! I wanna shout out all the queer authors and illustrators. All the Black folks and people of color who've had the books banned for no more than telling their story. Oh and shout out to all those teachers bringing ethnic studies and critical race theory into their classrooms so students can actually learn how we got here as a country and as a world. Yes, please read banned books and when you do make up your own mind if its useful information or not.

Cop a print HERE

Dig this? Check out this print "Ethnic Studies In Every School"

Post about my book being banned

Video: National Sticker Day 2022

 

Here are some of the stickers I've made over the past year or two. They focus on affirmations, taking care of ourselves, and affirming cultural pride. If you haven't looked at my shop recently check it out here.

NCAC : Attack on books

 I signed this statement supporting the many books that have been banned by folks who do not want to talk about race, gender, or sexuality. As two of my books have been banned and I have grown up with the knowledge of ethnic studies I know what its like. Check out the statement from the National Coalition Against Censorship!

Heres an article about one of my books that was banned.

 

Postcard Deal 2

 

Here is a second set of postcards. You know, some folks still send snail mail and dig these. If you are one of those people you can cop this set HERE.

This set has a mix of artwork with the themes of analog music, character design, self care, and people of color. The last set of postcards is here.

Interview w/ professor Marilisa Jiménez García (Side By Side )

 

Great interview w/ author and educator Marilisa Jiménez García about her book "Side By Side" which examines Pura Belpre, Puerto Rican historians such as Arturo Schomburg, US empire, and the beginnings of books and education for children in the US. This is a greta book for ethnic studies students in high school and college. And my artwork is on the cover :) Big shout out to Marilisa for including it.

Link to buy the book

Previous post about the book, and here's the link to the original illustration.

Download 2 - Ethnic Studies coloring sheet

 

Here's a coloring sheet for all the folks trying to introduce the study and concept of "Ethnic Studies" to their students early. You can download a copy of this from my shop HERE. 

Thanks for your support and here is the previous download-Analog music.

Check out this time lapsed video I made of coloring it in.

Africana Studies Print

 

Peace, I'm so excited to introduce this new piece to you "Africana Studies". This is a print featuring that phrase and an antique afro pick. The origin of the idea comes from Black, African American, African studies departments in colleges. I hope this print can apply to high schools one day as well, but this is basically an attempt to make a beautiful and affirming decoration for an office, classroom, or building that specializes in the study of Black culture. It could totally be in a home or bedroom but my aim is to reach educators specifically with this whether they be in a larger "Ethnic Studies" department or a sole focus of study at their institution.

COP one here!

Series: This print will be a part of a series of new prints focusing on Black, Asian, Raza, Indigenous studies or programs from an Ethnic Studies program. Stay tuned.

Did you see the "Ethnic Studies" print pack w/ stickers?

Black Is Beautiful Sticker

 

Juiced to share this with you all. A gold foil "Black Is Beautiful" Sticker!!  Cop one!

LINK

Here's a new sticker with a classic phrase "Black is Beautiful" first uttered before my mother was born in an effort to give African Americans pride. Not only in their skin color, but their heritage. The term "Black" is one of many used to describe humans with a darker skin hue but the descendants of Africans in the US did not create the classifications for race, we just flipped them and gave them new meanings.

For me personally, I started to use this phrase publicly as part of a series of drawings and paintings celebrating unsung figures of Black history here in the US and abroad. I love the feeling of affirmation the term gives and hope you too can resonate with it whether you consider yourself "Black" or not. We can all affirm the "Black Is Beautiful" as a statement of pride and a resistance to centuries of "anti-black" imagery, descriptions, and racist messages from the past and today.

Did you catch the last "POC POV" sticker?

Ethnic Studies Pack

Whats up fam? You can cop this pack of stickers and prints for your classroom, home, or office! I originally made the pack to help fundraise for this network of Ethnic Studies educators in Cali-follow them here on IG. But now that I was able to raise a bit of $ I'm going to continue to sell this pack.

Ethnic Studies for those who don't know is an organized curriculum of books, films, lectures, music, and culture that explore all that US and American history left out about African Americans, Latin@S, Native Americans, and Asian Americans. It now includes curriculum about Middle Eastern Americans, and sometimes LGBTQ studies as well. I'm a product of ethnic studies and i'm very proud to support ethnic studies curriculum all over the US in EVERY SCHOOL. You want a print or a sticker?

BUY ONE HERE

Did you see the show I made the "Ethnic studies painting" for?

READ Print 4

Here's the last print of this "READ" series encouraging young people to pick up a comic, graphic novel, YA, MG, Magazine, art book, whatever and read. I started this at the beginning of the year in March and I was inspired to do more so I did. For this one, I imagined a young Asian Boy. Check it out and share.

PURCHASE here

Did you catch the last one? READ print 3

Ethnic Studies Sticker!

Here's a new sticker of a drawing I did in my sketchbook.

What is Ethnic Studies? To me, it is a chance to learn about history and cultural from a people of color perspective. Typically US and world history is Eurocentric and leaves out tremendous amount of stories and history from Black, Indigenous Native Americans, Asians, and Latin@s. I believe very strongly that every school from elementary school up to college should have mandatory ethnic studies classes to educate all students.

You want a sticker? Go to my Etsy please. 

If you missed the painting I did of this same phrase, check that out here on the blog too.

Ethnic Studies in Every School

This is a print of a recent painting I made for the 16th anniversary art show of the "Trust Your Struggle Collective" in Sacramento California. I am a product of Ethnic Studies as I was able to take classes in it at Berkeley High School (California) and at San Francisco State University.

What is Ethnic Studies? To me, it is a chance to learn about history and cultural from a people of color perspective. Typically US and world history is Eurocentric and leaves out a tremendous amount of stories and history from Black, Indigenous Native Americans, Asians, and Latin@s. I believe very strongly that every school from elementary school up to college should have mandatory ethnic studies classes to educate all students.

After being a student, I had the privilege to be a presenter as part of the Trust Your Struggle Collective in the late 2000's Ethnic Studies Conferences held at SFSU.

Check out the close ups below! You want a print? Go here.

Did you take classes in Ethnic studies? If so comment with your experience.

Rock the School Bells - Educators Conference

Peace y'all, I will be tabling at the 12th annual Rock the School Bells Conference for educators on march 9th and the Conference for youth w/ workshops on March 23rd at Skyline College in San Bruno California. Come through if you work with youth or if you have youth that you'd like to expose to some dope hip hop & ethnic studies education.

Need more information? Want to volunteer? MORE INFO

Here are some videos from past years so you can get an idea for what to expect.

Character Collage (6) 2016-2017

Here is my annual collage of character's I've either designed or reimagined both with traditional and digital means. My main goal with these when I started 8 years ago was to practice working on figures and faces. More specifically I wanted to create a body of work that could be applied to children's books, gaming, comics, animation, film, and more. I wanted to explore figures from the past, people of color, ethnic studies, activists, science fiction, and fantasy. Let me know what you think!

1. EZLN- Ejercito Zapatista de Liberacíon Nacional 2. Cyclops-Xmen 3. Kamala Khan-Marvel character 4. Bobby Hundreds-Fashion design 5. Side plank - Yoga Pose 6. Repeal the Jones Act-boricuas 7. Sara KhoshJamal Fekri- Martial artist 8. Mary "Butchie" Tom- Dancer 9.  Bgirl Terra 10. Trayvon Martin 11. Lumad Youth-Philippines 12. Memphis Minnie-Blues 13. Frosty Freeze-Bboy 14. Vicki Manalo-Draves -Diving 15. Edna Lewis -chef 16. Mena

You can see the previous years here too: 

2015-2016

2014-2015

2013-2014

2012-2013

2009-2012

If you are interested in more information about any of the characters in particular, or a print just email me at info@robdontstop.com