It is clear from Memphian Bill Day’s recent three cartoons that he takes the killing of Trayvon Martin personally.
The award-winning cartoonist is well-known for his cartoons on themes of equal rights, justice, and reason.
His recent cartoons have special meaning: he was raised in Sanford, Florida, where the shooting place. In fact, it was in the town’s library where his love of cartooning was born.
Last night, Mr. Day explained the emotions and personal beliefs that inspired his recent cartoons in an interview with Fox 13’s anchor Mearl Purvis. As usual, Ms. Purvis brought her distinctive touch to the interview, which you can watch here.
Mr. Day is a two-winner of the prestigious Robert F. Kennedy Award and five-time winner of the Green Eyeshade Award from the Society of Professional Journalists. He’s also won a variety of other prominent honors for his outstanding work, notably the National Cartoonist Society Editorial Cartoon Award.
Memphis is lucky to have his gifts as part of our community, and we are doubly lucky to showcase his work here as part of our blog.
Here’s how Mr. Day described his epiphany in the Sanford, Florida, library:
Discovering Herblock is a transcendent moment in my early awareness as both a cartoonist and a young southerner coming of age in the segregated South. At around 8 or 9 years old in the late 50’s, I became very aware of the inequality of my region, trying to comprehend why America would talk about freedom and then not allow it. The water fountains, the separate entrances, the back of buses, the separate schools, and the unpaved roads in ‘Goldboro’, the black section of town. I saw all of that clearly and looked for understanding from my parents, who while loving and kind, failed it support my opinions. There seemed to be no one who would support me.
I was beginning to really like cartooning and found a Herblock cartoon as an example of ‘editorial cartoons’ in the World Book Encyclopedia. It was “Fire!” It was the first editorial cartoon I had ever seen and it opened up my world. I started looking for them in newspapers in my home town library where there were many out of state newspapers. There I discovered Mauldin, Haynie, Conrad, and many others. As the civil rights movement started to shake the foundation of the deep south, I would go to the library and see what these cartoon heroes of mine would draw to explain the events unfolding. Herblock was my very favorite and I followed him closely. My interest in the newspaper section at the library began to be noticed by the chief librarian. I was about 12 years old by then and it was unusual for a boy my age to be spending so much time there. I was also naive about her interest in me. One day she came over and asked what had my intense interest. I gladly showed her the Herblock cartoon and spoke so admiringly about him. She was not happy about it.
Several weeks later I went to the library to catch up on my cartoon education. I looked everywhere for the Washington Post, but I couldn’t find it anywhere. I went up to the counter and asked where it might be and the librarian told me that the subscription had been canceled. I asked why, and she told me that she was not going to have the youth of her town corrupted by such Communist propaganda! I was absolutely crushed.
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