Date: Mon, 10 Apr 95 14:24:06 -0400
Message-Id: <950407154445_75341041@aol.com>
Comment: Conflict Resolution Network
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Version: 5.31 -- Copyright (c) 1991, Anastasios Kotsikonas
From: SNDAHOOD@aol.com
To: rdshydur@MIT.EDU
Subject: Mediators Won't Meet Af/Am Teens

F.O.R. Won't Meet "Brainwashed" Af/Am Youth:
Spends $20,000 to Bury Autobio Comic Books

May 6 "Re-Cycling" Deadline Set by 75 Year Old Peace/Civil Rights
Group That Bought 20,000 ACTIVISTS! Copies from Publisher

"The stories are not uplifting."  "Too-dark" coloring and comic art style a
"racist caricature"... No matter what kids say they like.

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La`Rie McGruder and her brother, Duke Porter had never heard of the
Fellowship of Reconciliation when they met comic book writer Joyce
Brabner (OUR CANCER YEAR, REAL WAR STORIES).  But, they
knew who the X-MEN were.  And that goofy green "Smokin'!" guy, THE
MASK and THE RIDDLER-- all comic book characters drawn by artist
Mark Badger (BATMAN JAZZ, INSTANT PIANO) who, joined by artist
Wayne Van Sant (THE 'NAM, RED BADGE OF COURAGE), would
illustrate ACTIVISTS!, a PG-13 nonfiction comic book the troubled,
painfully aging peace organization quietly spent over $20,000 on last
month, by buying out an entire print run of 20,000 copies in order to halt
its further distribution to stores, schools, other organizations-- and even
young activists who, like Duke and La`Rie, appear in the comic.

In response, the artists and writer have posted the controversial work on
the Internet.  Files are available by FTP, posted on the World Wide Web
and placed in a special area created by CompuServe.

ACTIVISTS! includes a story about Survivin'-N-Da Hood, a support
group for teens, organized against violence by the New Haven, CT brother
and sister, with their mother, Pat Boozer.

The kids want the comics to use in a summer project they've organized to
keep their streets safe, teach mediation skills, fight AIDS and drug abuse
and encourage each other to stay in school and go to college.  Requests for
a meeting with FOR have been denied, ironically by an organization that
preaches peaceful conflict resolution.

Until the comics were impounded, Survivin'-N Da Hood kids were hard at
work, trying to raise enough money to buy an additional 10,000 to 25,000
copies of ACTIVISTS!.  Funded in part with money from the United
States Fellowship of Reconciliation (FOR), a 75 year old pacifist
organization historically linked with Mahatma Gandhi and Dr. Martin
Luther King, Jr., ACTIVISTS! includes a front page introduction written
by FOR Executive Director Jo Becker, a bibliography and a two page
resource directory.

FOR now says the comics are "unsuitable."  The stories "are not uplifting." 
African-American skin was colored "too dark" in one story, while Badger's
humorous, computer tweaked graphics in a second are said to be "racist
caricatures" and "unacceptable from an organization which holds itself to
such high ideals as (FOR)."

"Mark didn't draw Duke, La`Rie like stiff little brown Barbie and Ken dolls. 
They look like they're having fun," says Brabner.  Says their mother, Pat
Boozer, "We love it.  The kids think it's great."

Brabner adds, "We were told by FOR "Of course kids like that kind of art. 
They've been brainwashed by racist stereotypes on TV and in the movies.

Duke, La`Rie and their mom have been doing award winning anti-racism
work for years.  They aren't naive.  They approved their story before it
went to press.  Labeling them "victims" of racism-- while refusing to meet
with them-- is impossibly arrogant.  We want kids to have those comics. 
Do FOR's donors know this is going on?"

ACTIVISTS! is about youth who have, through nonviolent action,
successfully fought for democracy, human rights, peace in the streets and
quality schools and against racism, gay-bashing, rock and rap censorship
and other tough issues.  Five years ago, an in-house survey confirmed the
average FOR member was 51 years old.  The comic book was intended as
the venerable organization's invitation to young people to step forward and
work for social change.

The project was supervised by Jo Becker, who was still in her 20s when
she became the youngest Executive Director of FOR, after starting work
on ACTIVISTS! as FOR's Coordinator of Youth Activities.  "Jo's
promotion was supposed to send a message to youth, to tell them young
ideas were welcome at FOR," says Brabner.

"I'm not sure Jo shared the work-in-progress she received with other staff
members, including African-Americans working at FOR.  But, I'm also not
sure anyone paid attention to the comic until after Jo became Executive
Director.  Stuff like this doesn't happen in a vacuum.  I think we got caught
in the middle of something ugly.  Ex-employees have told me FOR African-
American staff members don't stay there very long.  Young staffers have
complained, too.  It sounds like FOR is having trouble confronting in-
house racism, ageism, homophobia and other unresolved issues.

Jo wanted FOR to reach out to gay and lesbian teens.  In one story, a gay
12 year old timidly touches his best friend's shoulder during a weekend
sleep over.  That's supposed to have made someone at FOR
"uncomfortable" because sexual experimentation between the boys was
implied.

Meanwhile, we just heard from a support group for gay, lesbian and bi
teens organized in Massachusetts after a student who was repeatedly
targeted by gay-bashers committed suicide.  This was a kid adults ignored. 
They didn't take him seriously when he asked for help.  And we didn't have
enough comics to send them.

Kids are killing themselves because they think the world hates them and
FOR is in a panic because we recognized that twelve year old boys
sometimes fool around with each other?  No one at FOR besides Jo seems
to have noticed that the rest of the story is about how Aaron Fricke stood
up to high school bullies and unconcerned adult bigots-- and survived.

FOR seems to have a real problem with reading history, even though
they're very proud of their King-Gandhi connection.  A story about a 1951
Virginia student strike for a better equipped, integrated school, led by 16
year old Barbara Johns was criticized as "too dated" and "not relevant"
while another story, about Czechoslovakia's peaceful student-led "Velvet
Revolution" in 1989 against Soviet hard liners who occupied that country
for 20 years, was criticized for having "an anti-Communist tone."

Two of the four stories in ACTIVISTS! are about young African-
Americans.  Story placement was attacked as racist because building to a
1995 climax meant placing Survivin' N Da Hood " in the back of the book."

It was suggested that we remain quiet about all this and treat the project as
an "unfortunate" mistake.  But, the comics are already in the hands of
reporters who tell me FOR's is handing out this line: "We're not saying
ACTIVISTS! is racist.  We just can't say that it's not."

That's pathetic.  We're not saying FOR is PC-paralyzed or out of touch. 
We just can't say that they're not.  Why are they afraid to talk to the kids?

Too much is happening behind closed doors.  FOR is headquartered at
Shadowcliff, a big mansion with gardens, built along the Hudson River in
Nyack, NY.  FOR's National Council will be meeting May 6-9, 1995 to
decide whether to release-- or "recycle"-- the 20,000 comics.  Since they've
already spent over $20,000 buying the comics back, and won't meet with
any kids, I doubt they feel generous.  Other than Jo, FOR seems to think
"It's OUR book.  We paid for it."

And, of course, we think it's the kids' book, that it's THEIR history."

You can download or view stories from ACTIVISTS!, as well as travel
instructions, should you want to join kids inviting themselves to the May 6-
9 meeting.  Shadowcliff is an easy to find historic landmark where parking,
I'm told, should be no problem.

This is being done to encourage constructive dialogue.  It's a way to send
feedback to those people at FOR who so quickly spiked the comic book. 
Copying and crossposting is very much encouraged.

We'll need a ton of letters, enough to let FOR know people see what's
going on, to recover those unwanted comics.

On the World Wide Web:

http://www.digimark.net/wraith/Activists/
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Via FTP:

login anonymously to digimark.net
cd (change directory) to wraith/Activists

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On CompuServe:

Type GO COMICS.  Once inside, you'll find the graphics files stored in the
Library under ACTIVISTS!  Ongoing discussion can be posted or read on
the MESSAGE board, again under ACTIVISTS!.

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To reach artists and writer, send e-mail to: 

ACTIVISTS1@aol.com

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To ask about actual copies of the ACTIVISTS! comic book, send e-mail
to:

getcomics@aol.com
----------

For an on-disk copy, send e-mail to:

actvistart@aol.com
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To contact the US Fellowship of Reconciliation about ACTIVISTS!:

fornatl@igc.apc.org
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While you're at it, cc. us and FOR's parent group, the International
Fellowship of Reconciliation in Alkmaar, the Netherlands:

ifor@gn.apc.org
----------

Interested in joining young people planning to visit Nyack, NY when FOR
has its May 6-9 meeting?  Send e-mail to:

activcomics@igc.apc.org

----------
Or contact Survivin'-N-Da-Hood:

SNDAHOOD@aol.com
boozer@yale.vm.cis.yale.edu