A Show of Power: Africans and African Americans in Science Fiction and Fantasy
What is power? Some of us imagined having superpowers as children.
Maybe it was the power to fly, deflect bullets, or climb walls. Was your
power super-strength triggered by rage, or invisibility?
Did you visit new worlds through play? Remember how the blankets
and pillows become a rocky terrain where your action figures went on
adventures, fighting monsters and evil villains? There was power in
creating your own stories, but how often did you see yourself in those
stories?
Wearing the masks and costumes of our favorite superheroes took us
outside of ourselves. We experienced worlds where good usually triumphed
over evil. Sometimes, those worlds paralleled our own. When authentic
Black characters appear in fantastic stories or possess amazing powers,
they resonate with Black audiences. They also honor our history of
achievement and overcoming discrimination, exclusion and racism in the
U.S. and aborad.
This exhibition showcases the positive shift in popular culture
where a growing number of Blacks use their powers to create and publish
their own art and stories. It also celebrates how Blacks continue to
inspire and influence the images and stories created by others.
Eugene Randolph Young,
Guest Curator
Featuring:
Milton Davis (author)
Balogun Ojetade (author)
Afua Richardson (artist)
Aubrey Williams (artist)
K. Ceres Wright (author)
Daniel Stone (artist)
Stanley Weaver Jr. (artist)
Kristopher Moseby (artist)
Michael Buffington (artist)
City College of San Francisco
Louise & Claude Rosenberg Library
(3nd Floor display case, near elevators)
50 Phelan Avenue
San Francisco, CA 94112
Library Blog
http://ccsfexhib.wordpress.com/
