Black is Beautiful 2023 - Nelson Vails

 

Welcome to Black Is Beautiful 2023! My first pick for the year is Nelson Vails, a pro cyclist from Harlem NYC. Born in 1960, he began riding a bike as a kid and received his first track bike from a member of a motorcycle gang. Eventually he grew into it and not only became a NYC bicycle messenger but would ride in central park before and after work to train. He joined the TOGA racing team named after the famed NYC bike shop and then made the move to live and train in Europe and Japan. Nelson was known as the "cheetah" and became the 1st Black man to win an olympic medal for cycling in 1984. In 2009 he was inducted into the Bicycle Hall of Fame and has many accomplishments, He speaks 5 languages, is an innovator of cycling equipment, been sponsored by companies (Raleigh, Rensho, Rapha), produced a documentary about his life, and has served as an advocate for cycling for youth. Salute to this OG of cycling!

Dig this? Check out this post about Justin Williams, L&M Tourers, or Greg Liggins

Sources: NelsonVails.com, The Cheetah Documentary, Rapha, Wikipedia

Black Is Beautiful 2021 - Transgender Cultural Center

 

I'm listening to Alicia Garza's podcast "Lady Don't Take No" when she mentioned the Compton Cultural District. Then I found about these three ladies. Janetta Johnson (54)- who is the executive director of an organization called TGIJP or the "Transgender Gender Variant Intersex Justice Project". Honey Mahogany (35)-An artist, activist, social worker, and candidate for office in SF. And Aria Sa'id (29)-Former program director at St James Infirmary, current founder of Kween Culture, and the executive director of the Transgender Cultural District. 

Each of these women have worked in some capacity as advocates for the Trans community. They came together to help found the Transgender Cultural District which is now the worlds first cultural district in a city that honors transgender people. Its 6 city blocks of the Tenderloin neighborhood located in San Francisco California. And it is one of the places trans people come to when they first enter the city.

The story is, a developer wanted to build a new condo, the community pushed back because it was not lifting up the people who live there currently and it did not preserve the local history such as the Compton Cafeteria riot of 1966 which is one of the first documented times the queer community fought back against police harassment (Stonewall 1969). A coalition of activists fought to preserve the history and got Jane Kim (Dist 6 supervisor) to make it happen at the city level. This cultural district has plans to help Trans folks with tenant rights, jobs, space for arts & culture, historical preservation, and cultural competency. 

Sources: TransgenderDistrictSF.com, Forbes, Out Magazine, NPR

Did you catch the ptg of Miss Major?

The last one before this was Wilhelmina Godfrey

Black is Beautiful 2021 - Phase2

 

Rest in peace to the legendary artist known as Phase2. Lenny Wood aka Phase2 was born in 1958 and grew up in the Bronx, NY. He started drawing as a kid and would enter the world of Writing or "Graffiti" as some know in 1971 around the birth of hip hop culture. Writing has so many pioneers but Phase is known for developing the "bubble letters" style so many have grown to love. Starting first on paper, then walls, then trains Phase2's also developed and was one of the great pioneers of "wild style" lettering. His work has influenced writers in the millions all over the country and across the world. For that alone he is a King. But there's more.

Phase is one of the graphic artists alongside artists such as Buddy Esquire and Eddie Ed to literally design hip hop's early flyer style and aesthetic. His designs using starts, symmetry, and geometrical shapes are still being used today. He created one of the first Graffiti zines called International Graffiti Times in the late 80s. He had a major role as did so many writers in the early design of hip hop logos and albums as well as flyers. Add to that , he went beyond visuals and rhymed, danced, and DJed under many names. Check out his record "The Roxy". Shout out to his crews UGA-"United Graffiti Artists" and "Electrified Movement". 

I first came across his work in the film Beat Street and so many graff magazines and books. Automatically you could see his thinking was light years beyond most. And his name Phase2 alluded to "the next step" or constant growth. He's said to be influenced by Romare Bearden, Jack Kirby, and countless writers such as LEE 163. Do yourself a favor and check out AIGA's "Eyes on Design" interview with him by Jerome Harris, the book "Yes Yes Y'all", and i'm sure i'm missing some info. Please feel free to comment with further research for budding artists to follow. Writing or Graffiti Art was pioneered by Black and Brown artists from Philly and NYC.

Sources: Throw it Up, Video Graf, The Source, Museum of Graffiti.com, AIGA

In case you missed the last Black is Beautiful piece, here are a few:

Cey Adams

Uncle Jamm's Army

Black is Beautiful 2020 - Arlan Hamilton

I first came across Arlan in 2017 through Tech Crunch. I was listening to talks about tech to understand how it was changing my hometown rapidly. That's when I heard Arlan speak about putting other Black women, people of color, women, and queer folks on. Originally from Texas Arlan was a big music fan who became tour manager and production coordinator for bands. She also was curious about tech and did enough research to earn a Masters Degree in venture capitalist funding. Once she saw the opportunities venture capitalists were missing and got to work to establish Backstage Capital.

Fast forward four years and they've invested in over 100 companies! All of them are run by Black women, people of color, queer folks, and women. Why? The big tech companies we use daily started as tiny companies that needed seed money to grow. but who gets that money is incredibly unequal. Surprise, surprise! Actually over 90% of the large Venture Capitalist are white men which unfortunately means the folks Backstage now funds were overlooked and ignored. Arlan secured over 30 million in funding to seed these people to kickstart their small companies who could one day be the next big thing. And she is one of the only queer Black women ever to do this.

She is now in demand as a public speaker, she created several podcasts, has graced many magazines and news outlets and created a company that is truly giving folks a shot who were previously being blocked. Some of the companies her company (which is now a big team) has invested in are travel, financial tech, music instrumentation, self care, facial recognition, renewable energy, and healthcare. Her company started in Silicon Valley and has grown to include programs in the Bay Area, LA, Detroit, Philadelphia, and London. If you get the emails from Backstage they also include monthly highlights of successful new companies, jobs, tips, accelerator, and all kinds of resources to get your business idea going.

And she's only 39! Big ups for being smart and betting on people who were previously ignored Arlan.

Sources: Tech Crunch, Fast Company, Backstage Capital, Medium

Wanna see more?
Jessica Matthews - Uncharted Play
Kimberly Bryant - Black Girls Code

Black is Beautiful 2020 - Black Love

This piece is to celebrate Black Love in all its forms. I just imagine two flowers and the words because I wanted it to be a statement that both heterosexual and queer couples could get into. Also, it could be used for family too. Either way, I want to celebrate the Black love that I've seen and continue to see. I am a mixed kid (Black, Korean, Mexican, Apache), I am in a mixed relationship, and my kids are mixed. But I can still celebrate Black Love.

As I mentioned in a previous post, I am trying something new for Black History Month. Each year for the past four or five years I have been working on portraits and designs of Black folks from many different walks of life to celebrate Black folks during Black History Month. But, I didn't want to shine more light on folks who are already famous or folks we all know the story of. I wanted to work on artwork about people that not everyone is familiar with. Recognition and money wise that is not the most rewarding in terms of praise or dollars. But, I feel that the breadth of who we are as Black folks is extremely vast and folks need to know more stories. We need to hear about Black futures, young people who are alive and just starting to make history. We need to hear about Gay, Lesbian, Queer, Trans, and or gender non conforming Black folks too, which I feel even Black folks shy away from. And we need to hear about radical Black people.

BUY A PRINT HERE.

Check out some close ups here.

Did you see the previous post? See Black is Beautiful type art

Black is Beautiful 2020 - Justin Williams

This is Justin Williams, one of the fastest people on a bicycle right now. Justin is from South Central Los Angeles by way of Belize. He grew up with cycling in his blood and started racing at the age of 14. He's 30 now and has been a bit busy not only winning races but blazing a path for more Black folks and people of color to enter the very white world of cycling. After racing with many teams and trying to assimilate into this world, he decided to create his own team (Legion of Los Angeles) and just be himself. That means bringing some style the cycling world isn't used to seeing. It also means providing mentorship and a home for more to start racing. As a young man he mentioned being inspired by Rahsaan Bahati (cyclist) and is inspiring countless people young and old. People are literally coming up to him and his younger brother Cory Williams (who also races) and asking them to sign their copies of Bicycling magazine (where I first saw him).

Justin described racing by not only using your legs, but your shoulders, you head, your mind, and your whole body to win. And win he does. Justin is the 2018/2019 Road Race National Champion, the 2018/19 Crit National Champ, a 10 time National champion, the 2018 UCI Cross Country Classic, 2017 PRT Dana Point Grand Prox, 2017 B.C. Superweek Ladner Grand Prix, and the 2017 Sprint Class Grand Prix winner. Known for his speed and power Justin has raced all over the US and internationally. Besides having family support he is also sponsored by Specialized Bicycles, Shimano, Rapha, and MedTerra CBD's. Most people consider the Tour De France the pentacle of racing, but I think Justin is bringing more eyes to the "Crit" or closed circuit course where you have to be the first in shorter faster races. He is living Black history. Follow his journey.

Wanna see more? Check out:
Greg Liggins- Bmx rider

Sources: State Bicycles, Cycling Weekly, WSJ, Velo news, and Med Terra

Black is Beautiful (2018) 13 - Greg Liggins

Greg Liggins is a BMX Rider from Hayward California. He came to prominence in the mid 80s for his speed and abilities on the track. He was so fast that he was called "lightning". He won hundreds of  trophies in his teens and early twenties. He would go on to break a record as the first rider to win four ABA (American Bicycle Association) races. He would ride for large bike companies such as Hutch and Jag. But, in the 80s his team for Hutch was invited to ride in South Africa. Although he was excited to travel he declined in protest once he found out about the apartheid and how Black folks were being treated. For this act of protest, much like Kapernick, he was let go and black balled from racing and his team. But, he stood by his principles and later went on to be a newscaster for KTVU. If you have any connections to Greg, please show him this piece.

As a kid who loved to ride my BMX bike, my GT, I was really excited to learn about Greg!

You can purchase a print for $20 (includes shipping) , email at info@robdontstop.com 


Sources: Home Turf, BMX Life, 38th Notes, and Super Kids

Black is Beautiful (2018) 11 - Marlon Riggs

Marlon Riggs was a pioneering Black gay filmmaker. He was born in 1957 in Fort Worth Dallas and  grew up there as part of a military family and moved around a lot. He lived in Georgia and Germany as a result. Always an incredible student and queer he faced discrimination, racism, and alienation from both many people. In the mid 70s he got a scholarship to Harvard University and although he excelled academically was hiding his true sexuality. Then Marlon moved to the Bay Area where he attended UC Berkeley study film and Black history. He became a filmmaker and shot his first documentary "Long Train Running" about West Oakland blues history in 1982. He also began to embrace his sexuality and bean what would become a life long relationship with Jack Vincent. They were among the first gay couples in the Bay to apply for domestic partnership. He went on to become a faculty member at UCB an self funded and produced another film called "Ethnic Notions" about the historic portrayal of Black folks which aired on PBS. He went on to join a group called the "Black Gay Men United" and made a film called "Tongues Untied" which was revolutionary in its portrayal of queer Black men. The film received wide acclaim and criticism. Riggs would go on to make several more films, to win international film awards, to become a young tenured UCB faculty member, and to receive an honorary degree from CCAC (now CCA). Marlon learned after having kidney failure that he was HIV positive. He would later die from complications of AIDS and he vowed to not stay silent about the disease which was ripping apart both queer and straight communities across the US. Marlon was a pioneer in film, Gay pride, and Black history.


Sources: MarlonTRiggs.com, Current.org, I Shall Not Be Removed (film)

Black is Beautiful (2018) 10 - Ruth E Carter

Ruth E. Carter was born in 1960 and is from Springfield Massachusetts. In her early days of college she wanted to be an actress. Once after auditioning for a play and being passed over for the part she was offered the job of doing costumes for the play and she loved it. She loved it so much she began to design countless costumes for dance shows and theater productions at her school Hampton University. After getting some more schooling at USC and an internship for the Los Angeles Theater Center she would meet a young filmmaker named Spike Lee. In her early career she worked with Keenan Ivory Wayans, but it was with Spike that she would work on more than 12 of his projects. Films such as Malcolm X, Crooklyn, and Do the Right Thing. Carter described her process with a ton of research using photographs, oral history, and books. She uses many references to make a mood or inspiration board in her studio, set trailers, and online that is both physical and digital. Ms Carter has worked on over 40 films and TV shows to date with projects such as Being Mary Jane, Love & Basketball, Selma, The Five heartbeats, Meteor Man, Empire, Serenity, and most recently she designed costumes for Marvel's Black Panther. She has been nominated for an oscar, an academy award, an emmy, and she has won the "career achievement" award from the American Black Film Festival. Word has it she is training new costume designers as well.


Sources: Slate's Represent podcast, Fashionista, Imdb, Black Reel Awards

Dig this? Check out this piece about Brenda Banks

Black is Beautiful (2018) 6 - J Dilla

The first record I purchased that had Jaydee's name on it was a remix of "Woo ha" by Busta Rhymes. I thought that beat was amazing. The 2nd time was a beat he did for Phat Kat's "don't nobody care about us" that Harley (drummer for Wild Hunt) had. I played it over and over again. Then tribe LP. Then the Slum Village stuff, then it felt solidified that this guy was one of my favorite producers. I'm not gonna do the whole bio today, go look it up. But for you young musicians, this guy truly studied, made art w/ the likes of D'Angelo, Q Tip, Blackstar, Pharcyde, De La Soul, Janet Jackson, The Roots, Common, Erykah Badu, Madlib, Elzhi, Amo Fiddler, too many to name and his sound lives on through so many musicians today. Dilla! 1974-2006! I remember the day he passed. RIP.

You can purchase a print for $20 (includes shipping) , email at info@robdontstop.com  -a portion will go to Ma Dukes! 

Sources: Music, lots of music

Black is Beautiful (2018) 4 - Master Ron Van Clief

Ron is a world renowned martial artist from New York. He began training at 15 yrs old w/ Moses Powell (Jui Jitsu), and would go on to train with many other forms including wing chin w/ Leung Ting. Ron competed until the age of 65 and was 5x world champion winner participating in at least 900 tournaments. He was a marine who faced extreme racism. He moved to Hong Kong and became the first African American to star in martial arts films there. Internationally Ban Clief was in 100 films, he earned a phd in theology, developed a style called Chinese Goju, and he trained other such as Taimak (Last Dragon). He still trains today and was one of the oldest fighters to compete in the UFC. 

You can purchase a print for $20 (includes shipping) , email at info@robdontstop.com 

Sources: JetLi.com, UCCN tv, The Black Kung Fu Experience

Black is Beautiful (2018) 3 - Roxanne Shanté

Born in 1969 Roxanne Shanté is a pioneering MC in the art of MCing and hip hop. Roxanne was a part of the legendary Juice Crew helmed by Marley Marl. She grew up in Queensbridge projects which was one of the largest housing projects in the US. She started recording at the age of 14 but had been rhyming and battling for awhile before. After she recorded a diss response to the group UTFO's "Roxaxanne Roxanne" she blew up and started the "Roxanne" wars which resulted in countless songs dissing her or adding to the feud. Shanté would record three albums, tour, perform, and influence countless kids as a lyricist and as a bold woman. She not only rhymed about her skill but about serious issues such as domestic violence and sexual harassment. Transition. She leaves hip hop. And she goes back to school. By this time, she had been a teen mom, dropped out of school, and wanted to better herself. She worked out a deal so her record company paid for her education and became Dr. Shanté! She began investing her money in property, and youth. She is now a big advocate for health in general and girls specifically, encouraging thousand sof young women to get their education.  And this past year a feature film about her life was just finished and premiered at the Sundance film festival.

Did you catch the painting of Sha Rock?

Did you see the Netflix film about her life?

Sources: Vice news, Hudson Union Society, Wikipedia

Here are some process shots. 

Black is Beautiful (2018) 2 - Shine Louise Houston

This my friends is a porn director and producer! Originally from Long Beach , Shine moved up to San Francisco and began her interest in making adult films working at Good Vibrations (adult sex positive store) because she didn't see the kind of adult films she wanted to see. I am including her because she is a groundbreaking filmmaker. In addition to making films such as The Crash Pad, Champion, and Super Freak she also is a pioneer in queer porn production. She believes in ethical porn and her films have won award nationally and internationally( 4o awards and counting). Annnd, she started a site called Pink Label tv to give viewers a way to buy, rent, and watch her films-and films by other female or queer filmmakers! Check her out, u can be any gender or sexual orientation to enjoy her site. 


Sources: LTASEX, Sex out loud, Pink label tv, 

Black Lives Matter- Remember Trayvon

Here are some illustrations I did for Black Lives Matter/ The Movement 4 Black Lives as they remembered the anniversary of Trayvon Martin's murder. Here is a statement from BLM:

"Five years ago today, Trayvon’s extrajudicial murder and his family’s commitment to ending gun violence and strengthening communities catalyzed a generation of organizers and activists to take action for Black lives.

Five years later, the same conditions that led to Trayvon’s death have been exacerbated under the Trump administration. Anti-Blackness is pervasive and implicit, and Black children and adults continue to be put on trial for our own murders.

The perceptions of Black people and Blackness in America, and globally, have resulted in the refusal to acknowledge the unique cultural contributions of Black people. Moreover, they perpetuate prejudice, deadly policing, racist legislation, and interpersonal violence.

Trayvon Martin's death catalyzed us. Join us in remembering him. "

#RememberingTrayvon

Sketch by: Rob Liu-Trujillo | Design by Laura Jenks

Black History Month Illustrations from 2016

Sister Rosetta Tharpe (1915-1973)- A Rock and Roll pioneer, she was one of the architects of what today is now known as Rock in its many forms. She was a pioneer in her life, music, beliefs, and her relationships being a bi-sexual woman in her day. Her style was fierce, loud, and extremely soulful.

Dr. Moses "Musa" Powell (1941-2005)- A martial arts master teacher and practitioner from New York. Moses Powell was a master student to , he was so skilled at Juijitsu that he developed his own style and system called Sanuces Ryu and he still ha students such as Anthony Muhammad teaching today. Moses was a teacher to the Nation of Islam, law enforcement, and even the FBI.

Oddisee (born 1985). Amir Mohamed is a Sudanese American musicians who both rhymes and produces instrumental music. The basis for his work is hip hop, but it expands to other genre's such as Jazz, Soul, and house. I first became aware of the brother on a visit to DC back in 2008 and have been a fan of him and Diamond District since. His work is extremely skillful, well crafted and thought-out, and balanced with thought and care-free. I think many my age would agree that he is one of most talented to do it. On constant rotation. Support him now by seeing him perform or buying his new LP.

Dawud Anyabwile (born 1965)- Illustrator and co-creator of the Brotherman Comics stories, I first became aware of his work as a teen, and later became rejuvenated by it as a young adult. I have written about this brother in magazines, and social forums because his outlook and approach to life, his views on Black family, and his stunning artistic abilities are a guiding light daily. Go support this living legend now by getting "Brotherman-Revelations" for your kids.

Octavia Butler (1947-2006)- Octavia was in incredible mind. An incredible writer, and a predictor of future. My mom read her work and introduced me to her 15-20 years ago. It wasn't until I was in my late 20's that I actually read and understood her work. In fact, she is the reason why I now love to read and share books with others. Her work in fantasy and science fiction has inspired so many with her talent for describing, telling, and bringing you in. I beg you, read her work and check out Octavia's Brood-an anthology of writers inspired by her work.

Ava DuVernay (Born 1972). I know most of you know Ava so I don't need to do the whole bio. But I'll say that I became aware of her work when she released a little documentary called "This is the Life" about a L.A. hip hop scene that produced some of my favorite MC's. And imagine how stunned I was when I realized I'd been listening to Ava rhyme on Project Blowed and didnt even know it was her. This is the 3rd time I've drawn or painted Ava. Yes. Go watch her latest film "The 13th" about prison industrial complex and its relation to slavery.

These are a few illustrations from last year that were commissioned by a Bay Area Tech company last year for Black History/Future month. There are more, but these were my favorite. If you would like to purchase a print of any one of these email me at info@robdontstop.com 8"x11" mixed media on paper.

Hey all , this month the Black Lives Matter movement has secured a major lighthouse on the internet of information. A megaphone for those looking for information, thoughts, calls to action, demands, and plans to move ahead.

Every day this month (Black History Month) Huff Post will feature a different writer addressing the issues that Black folks (and many poc) are facing across the US. The first piece was about “leadership” and “next steps” written by BLM co-founder Opal Tometi.

Go to http://www.huffingtonpost.com/news/black-future-month/ and follow the discussion. Share it! But mostly, look for some dots to connect and a lane to ride on.

Visuals artists! This is about to be a major cache of material for inspiration to create work that makes it vivid for the folks that wont read the articles, or dont care to. 
-Rob