Day 2 of Kwanzaa is called Kujichagulia or self determination. Simply put it means "to define and name ourselves, as well as to create and speak for ourselves". If there is one principle that the Black comic book community should embrace and wholly be about it; it is this one. The history of comics is well established and in that establishment, Black people were not depicted in a positive light. Early efforts to show Black people in positive lights came directly from Black people. It is a fargone conclusion that iconography has been the most important tool in the forwarding of white supremacy. To give people a perception of another people give them permission to see them a certain way. The most important movie that showed this was the film Birth of a Nation by D.W. Griffith. This movie helped reinforce and create the culture that allowed open hostility towards Black people by white people.
Our people have endevoured to create and push back against the propaganda. All Negro Comics #1 was one such effort. This book was created in 1947 and only existed to publish one book. This book was successful in establishing a blueprint for positive Black images in comic books. The company All Negro Comics, Inc. was not able to continue publishing their book due to distributors not selling the company the paper to print their book. As devestating as that was, it simply identified the enemies of our people's progress. Time and time again others would try and some would say they failed but the only failure is quitting.
Our people have always desired self determination. Our issue has been only of contentment. We have been content with characters created by Marvel and DC. These characters historically are treasured because our people have always enjoyed comics and heroes in comics. At times we have criticized both companies for not utilizing their Black characters enough. We on the other hand have not supported original creations from various Black voices. We know the importance of original creations but we can be slow to support those creations due to lack of resources and skill level regarding art and story telling. It is not enough that we embrace a historical product. It is not enough that we embrace "mainstream characters". It is not enough to wish or lament self determination. Truthfully speaking, the biggest superpower we all have is the power to choose. Whether we admit it or not we make choices that either embrace status quo or embrace change that may be considered radical. All because we choose ourselves. It is great to read and enjoy what you love, however our love must be greater for the artists and writers of our stories. We must champion self determination because it is empowerment at its core. We can appreciate legacy characters but we are limited in doing so because we all have to recognize the fact that these creations are the result of companies wanting to exploit established intellectual properties. In short, they seek a fast buck without the hard work of creating something new and comprehensive. Our desire should be to embrace original creations because they reflect our struggle to be seen and taken seriously.
I enjoy many characters from the Marvel and DC. I read their stories and enjoy who they are but I also realize that many of them come from a lens that do not reflect the African American experience in its totality. It does not make them less perse but consciously one cannot help but to see the stereotypes and tropes that permeate through a white writer's thoughts. However, when we encounter creations that come from the Black experience and written by Black people who live that "experience", one can discern the nuances of Black life. It gives life to the thought our elder William H. Foster so graciously expressed in his book titled "Looking for a Face like Mine". We not only are looking for that face, we should be looking for the hands who can create that face too. Embrace self determination and support Black creators with more than words but with your money.
-Richard J Wright
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