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

Inspiration board 40

 

You ready to see something cool?! Here are some inspiring folks, things from top to bottom, and left to right:

1. "La Bestia"- Animated short film by Marlijn Van Nuenen, Ram Tamez, Alfredo Gerard Kuttikat

2. Take Back the Block by Chrystal D Giles abt housing

3. Bisa Butler-Incredible quilt artist

4. Claire Wendling- French illustrator

5. Moonchild's new album "Starfruit"

6. SPO/ Slim Pickins Outfitters-Blk owned outdoor store

7. Jason Wilson of Cave of Adullam-martial arts/emotional support

8. Girls Garage- Org teaching young women/ gender expansive building

9. Noni Session of East Bay Permanent Real Estate Coop

10. Zilo-Artist /Vocalist/songwriter

11. Gabby Zapata- Character designer/vis dev artist

12. Organizers against Oakland school closures-Inspiring!!!

13. Swan Song - Sci fi Film starring Mahershala Ali

14. Zeke Peña- Southwest illustrator

15. Dragons in a Bag- Zetta Elliott abt dragons and magic!

16. Columbian Illustrator/comics artist-Lorena Alvarez

Please check out the links and support these folks, things, etc.

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

Inspiration board 39 

Inspiration board 38

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

Black is Beautiful 2022 - Tougaloo 9

 

This is for the Tougaloo 9 (Meredith Coleman Anding Jr., James Cleo Bradford, Alfred Lee Cook, Geraldine Edwards, Janice Jackson, Joseph Jackson Jr., Albert Earl Lassiter, Evelyn Pierce, and Ethel Sawyer) a group of undergrad college student activists from the HBCU Tougaloo in Jackson Mississippi. In 1961 they lead the first student lead protest against segregation in MS. Their target was the segregated public libraries in Jackson. They first went to the "Negro" libraries to request books they know would be unavailable, then went to the "White Only" libraries to request them. Although the rules were separate but equal, more than not Black libraries didn't have the same access to literature or knowledge as the White libraries did even though both people paid taxes funding these public spaces. After this the students decided to protest in their best clothes (Naacp protocol) by going to the White only library. There they asked for books they couldn't find previously, sat down, and began to read them quietly. The librarians called the police who demanded they leave. When they refused and were arrested. As they sat within the jail system hundreds of local Black students held a vigil in support of them which was violently broken up by MS cops. The next day Black students from Jackson State (HBCU) came to protest as well. The students lost their case against and were fined. But, their actions set off fear in MS and inspired other students. The Naacp filed a lawsuit against the MS library and the judged ruled in favor of desegregating all MS libraries. This also forced the u until that point silent American Library Association to make a statement in favor of desegregation as well, even though they did not have. BLK president until 1976! 

Extra: MS was one of the most racist states in the US. It is the state with the most lynchings of BLK folks according to the Equal Justice Initiative. From citizen lead vigilante groups and cops, to the mayor, news media, and the governor; the threat of violence for challenging Jim Crow was very real and very dangerous. In fact Medgar Evers who trained these students was murdered in the same city 2 years after this action. In addition, all citizens pay taxes which fund the books, staff, and creation of libraries. It is unspeakable the humiliation Blk folks had to and continue to endure.

Sources: Black Past, Wikipedia, Mississippi Free Press, EJI

If you like this check out The Contract Buyers League

Want to see some more activists? Check out:

Marsha P Johnson 2016

Video! - Alejandria Fights Back & Highlights Fundation!

 

Had a chance to talk to Feminist Press, part of my team on the Alejandria Fights Back/La Lucha de Alejandria book, and members of the Highlights Foundation (remember the magazine?). You can preorder the book here. If you're a book blogger and want a review copy, hit me up. 

If you missed my previous post announcing the book, please check that out here.

Celebrate A People's History!

I contributed an illustrated poster to this 2nd edition of Celebrate People's History by Josh Macphee and Feminist Press. It contains art celebrating, people, places, events, and movements for radical change in the US and internationally. Its beautifully curated and designed and is quite affirming if you feel like no progress is being made. It is also a powerful educational tool because many of the stories in it (illustrated as posters) are left out of history books. 

My piece is about the "Contract Buyers League", a group of Black home owners and faith based organizers who fought against the racist housing discrimination and theft of Black wealth in Chicago after the great migration. The book features are by Mincho Vega, Melanie Cervantes, Jesus Barraza, Zeke Peña, Miriam Klein Stahl, Cristy Road, Design Action Collective, and more. 

COP IT HERE

Here's my piece from the book:

Read more about the Contract Buyers League here.

Here's the book synopsis:

Forewords by Charlene Carruthers and Rebecca Solnit

Spanning nearly three thousand years of history—from the ancient Secession of the Plebs to the 2017 protests of the Confederate Soldiers Monument in Durham, from Sojourner Truth to Naoto Matsumura—these posters pay tribute to the long-standing human legacy of revolution, creative activism, and grassroots organizing. In this book, contemporary artists imagine and interpret often-overlooked events and figures in movements for racial justice, women's rights, queer liberation, labor organizing, and environmental conservation.

Dig this? Check out a mural I did that was in the book "Painting The Streets"

SF Anti Housing Displacement

This is a piece I created for the SF Anti Housing Displacement Coalition. They are a group of tenants, organizers, and volunteers who work together to keep San Francisco residents in their homes. Over the past 30 years San Francisco has seen so many changes from the tech companies, to the international migration of people coming to the city. What has been there the whole time is a spirit of activism and community organizing against unjust laws, companies, policies, institutions, and the city itself. This is an example of that attitude and action. 

I got a chance to sit with residents of the SF buildings who were being harassed, pushed out, disrespected, and harmed mentally and physically by their landlord. This landlord like so many in the city is trying to get old tenants with rent protection out and new tenants in so they can charge those people double, sometimes triple what their current tenants are paying. If they're not doing this, they are trying to sell their buildings to the highest bidder. And if tenants wont leave on their own the landlords harass them by intentionally leaving things unfixed, doing construction that interfere's with the health and safety of the tenants, and so many other tactics. But, this coalition is fighting back and winning.

This illustration is one of many created by artists to reach out to SF residents who don't know their rights and need help fighting back.

LEARN MORE HERE

ACLU 100 + Panel

Happy to say that I will be speaking on a panel (1-2pm) this Sunday with Innosanto Nagara,  Gregory Sale, and Sabiha Basrai. The panel will be moderated by Gigi Harney. We will be talking about arts and activism. BUT, thats not the only thing happening. You can hear bands play, get books and art, dance, see local artisans, live art, and hear some more great speakers on both Saturday and Sunday.

This is the Facebook event page and this is the ACLU 100 site which is part of a nationwide event celebrating the work of the ACLU and talking about mass incarceration, Immigrant and voting rights, activism, and more.  Check out the other cities they will be posted up in 

Not familiar with the American Civil Liberties Union? Go check out some of the videos they have up on Youtube regarding LGBTQ, Activist, Muslim,  and Immigrants rights.

Walkout, Organize, Vote - Poster

This poster is for youth to use in walkouts around gun violence (police are a huge part of that) and more; commissioned by Mobilize the Immigrant Vote and YVoteCA.

MIV organizes with Black, Latinx, and Asian folks across California to get elders, adults, and their grand children involved in local, city, and state elections to fight back against racist policies. I had the pleasure of being an artist in residence with MIV creating portraits of members and illustrating scenes to help non Black POC understand African American migration in the US. YVote CA is a group also organizing from northern, southern, and central California. Specifically, millennial voters since they are 1/3 of the population and the nation's most diverse population. Please follow both to learn more  and support.

Voting: I understand many men and boys my age don't give a #$%^ about voting. You have reason to be skeptical because we are dealing with an imperialist, capitalist, sexist, homophobic, and racist government (multinational corporations). I get it. But, after spending time with young men and women I can say that there is a lot to learn about laws & policies affecting your block, neighborhood, city, and state. If you're not going to promote voting, cool. But please support folks in grassroots or community organizations who are "organizing" because talking shit is not enough. Thank you to those men who are already doing this.

And for the record I believe any reform on gun violence must include disarming the police across the US. I believe women & youth must be at the forefront of the conversation and their opinions treated with respect.

M is for Movement-Interview

Here is the link to the interview about kids books

Defend Puerto Rico

So the US response to PR has been weak, disappointing, faulty, irresponsible, and down right hateful. It is not just the current idiot in office. There are other presidents since the colonization of the island (yes Obama too) who have contributed to a financial stranglehold on Puerto Rico. But check it out, you can help by calling your congress member and letting them know how you feel. Please follow DEFEND PUERTO RICO.

You can donate to them because they have Boricuas on the ground doing work, or you can put pressure on the US Govt. Check out these graphics by Michael Cordero, one of the co-founders.

Dakota Access pipeline-The banks who support it

Looking shit up in btwn work. Over 38 banks have loaned or given over $10 billion dollars to the four partners trying to push the Dakota Access pipeline thru. Amazing that over "188" tribes from South America to Canada have come together (historically) since last Spring to say NO TO the pipeline. Heres a list of the banks that gave the pipeline builders (Dakota Access, Energy Transfer Partners, Sunoco, and Energy Transfer Equity) money. The banks trying to profit from this are in the US, Canada, Japan, Germany, Scotland, UK, Italy, the Netherlands, France, Switzerland, etc more.http://www.foodandwaterwatch.org/…/who's-banking-dakota-acc…

Whats it about? Money, power, white supremacy. Its about protecting water, standing up to empire, class, and racism-for the last millennia. They did reroute this thing to respect the wishes of another community too.

In awe. Respect to the water protectors. Many ways to voice support for water protectors- You can go there (w/ respect), support food, supplies, doctors going there (as so many of have been doing), you can pressure these banks, close accts, MAKE ART, call the white house, the army corps.......just sharing

 

please follow the hashtag #NODAPL for more info, art, etc.

Portraits for Mobilize the Immigrant Vote

Here are some portraits I painted for "Mobilize the Immigrant vote". These portraits were commissioned for voting campaigns online and in print to educate people about propositions to vote for or against. The folks in these portraits are working activists and/or parents or kids of activists who not only want to share their experience but want to win more protection, equal rights, and justice for their families and loved ones. And with the current election results you can understand why.

To see the guides themselves or to learn more about MIV, please go to: http://www.mivcalifornia.org/

Kindred Journey 1- Equipto

Equipto (Ilych Sato) is being widely recognized for his activism in SF, being one of several educators or artists leading a hunger strike (11 days!) at the 17th St. police station in the Mission. The first time I heard of him was because of one of the Bay's oldest hip hop groups, Bored Stiff. Known for a deep voice and a relaxed flow, Equipto has been rhyming for two decades, at least. Together with the group they started putting out albums in the late '90s with over 6 LPs to their credit, and probably 10 times that from individual members who are not just musicians, but community advocates or teachers. I remember seeing him perform back in the 2000s with Andre Nickatina, mobbin, smokin, and just riding. Although I don't own any of his records, I always heard him featured on a track here or there and respect his flow. If you've listened to the Smoke Signals podcast you know him and Shawn have a big respect for music and culture that goes into and beyond underground hip hop. I know he's not claiming to be an activist and some people might have their issues with him, but I gotta give credit where it's due for taking a stand and confronting some of the struggles people (especially Black and Brown), are going through in SF. This Japanese/Colombian American is affecting change by bringing attention to justice unserved.

This first portrait is part of a month long series I'll be doing dedicated to the Asian American, Pacific Islander, and Asian Diaspora within the US and beyond as a way to highlight people from the past and present that have broke barriers, set standards, inspired, or simply existed. I invite anyone to join me in celebrating them w/ art, photos, or words on your own platform. Big respect to those fighting for ethnic studies in our schools. There are so many stories that need to be told.

Did you catch the new one of H.E.R.?

Whitewashing Asian Characters-Vox video

This is dope to me because it raises an issue that far too many people in filmmaking and those in power to green light or fund a film look over. I know you need known actresses to get people into the theater.I get it. But that is not an excuse for over 60 years worth of racist bullshit. Don't get me started, but please watch this video and share it if you agree. It's not just emotion, it is fact. And i'm glad vox did this because it challenges what has been "ok" to do for much too long.

Who is She? 22- Black Lives Matter

Give thanks and nuff respect to Opal, Patrice, and Alicia for being. And thanks to all of the chapter members and allies across the world for doing the work; prominently Black women leading the work. All of them lit a spark that grew into a movement. For those who haven't heard. Three Black women from different cities and similar minds made up the term, hashtag, and movement called "Black Lives Matter". In LA, Oakland, and NYC it started and spread to Florida, Missouri, and other states; each having their own unique fights. If you want to read the words of the founders I suggest reading the statements directly from their site and interviews in The California Report, Truth-Out, The Root, and Democracy Now.  But, read from several sources to get the full picture. Some people cover the root causes and some people merely want to capture the "cool".

In 2012 I remember it rising from frustration of being murdered by police with absolutely no consequences for taking of life. It came from the media's misinforming the public about what happened and who BLM is. It comes from the state's (city, state, and national governments) record of violence (physical, environmental, financial, and mental) on the lives of Black people all over the world. It came from turning that frustration into affirmation and saying yes we are here, we exist, and our lives matter. We've been facing it, struggling outside of the system, and going by the book. But when they finally had enough and stood up and said "no more" is when people started to take notice. Some people who understood joined in solidarity.  Others, who simply don't see why BLM activists couldn't just wait, calm down, or whatever used thinly disguised racism to attack them.

And well this is simply for affirming their very existence black folks from Toronto, Cincinatti, Minneapolis, Chicago, San Francisco, New York, Sacramento, Pasadena, Philly, D.C., Cambridge, Denver, Boston, Tennessee, Texas, and other cities. For saying "no you can't just oppress us" without a fight. For saying "Black Lives Matter". What I admire most about the adults and youth doing the work is that they wont be categorized or placed in a neat box for older white conservatives or leftists to digest. They are changing the way we think, act, and act up. And they are not settling. Respect to the activists facing charges today, and those who stand up to the tired arguments that try to do everything but acknowledge the racism that exists overtly and covertly in our courts, classrooms, offices, police departments, banks, I could go on. The whole damn system is guilty.

Sources: Black lives Matter (site), Deomcracy Now (video), AJ+ (Video)

Mujeres Unidas/ CA Domestic Workers Coalition

Been working on this for a bit. Two flyers meant as outreach and informational tools that Mujeres Unidas will use for outreach. In case you didn't know, domestic workers (Nanny's, Maid's, In home care givers, and more) often go without the proper pay, sick days, holidays, paid leave, and a lot of abuse. This past year California Governor Jerry Brown was forced to sign a new bill of rights guaranteeing rights to workers. Both myself and my mom have cleaned houses before and I have met many people who do this hard/honest work who are US citizens, imagine what kinds of protection you have if you are a recent immigrant or not a citizen.. Anyway, stepping down from soap box, Check out the work.