Williamstown - Creator of comic strip "The Boondocks," Aaron McGruder, will discuss his work and comic strip humor on Friday, Feb. 21, at 8 p.m. in Chapin Hall on the Williams College campus.
The Boondocks is about two African American boys, Riley and Hue, who move from inner city Chicago to live with their grandfather in white suburbia. The strip combines childhood antics with contemporary political and social satire. Its creator says it's "thematically autobiographical because it's inspired by real people and talks about true things."
With The Boondocks, McGruder says he seeks "to provoke thought, help improve the state of racial discourse, and expand the types of humor found on comics' pages."
The comic strip runs in more than 250 newspapers. Articles about McGruder and his The Boondocks have appeared in Time, Newsweek, People, National Journal, The Washington Post, and The Guardian. McGruder has been profiled on all three major U.S. television networks, as well as PBS's " The Charlie Rose Show."
McGruder, who has a degree in African American studies, created The Boondocks when he was a college student at the University of Maryland. He says he wanted to create "a comic strip that reflected both his love of hip-hop culture and the true racial diversity and complexity of the world in which he lived." The comic strip first appeared in 1997 in The Diamondback, the student newspaper.
For building locations on the Williams campus, please consult the map outside the driveway entrance to the Security Office located in Hopkins Hall on Main Street (Rte. 2), next to the Thompson Memorial Chapel, or call the Office of Public Affairs (413) 597-4279. The map can also be found on the web at www.williams.edu/home/visitors/map/index.html
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Berkshire Food Project Closed for Power Issues
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