Aaron McGruden, author and illustrator of "The Boondocks" comic strip, is not a leader.
But many people think that he is, and McGruden sees this as a problem.
"This is not the revolution," he said. "At the end of the day, I am an entertainer."
Yesterday in Vance Hall, McGruden spoke to a packed audience of over 100 people about his controversial comic strip and the lack of political leadership in the black community. Members of the audience ranged from professors to students to community members of all races.
"The Boondocks" is the story of a group of black children from the city adjusting to life in white suburbia and was first published in a major newspaper in 1999.
McGruden, 27, got his B.A. from the University of Maryland, where his comic strip made its debut. He explained that his art "explores what is racism, what is ignorance, what is naivete."
And McGruden's work has attracted a large fan base. Anne Casey said it is her favorite comic strip.
"He is really politically radical," the first-year history Ph.D. student said. "His is the most radical comic strip you can find in a regular newspaper."
McGruden began his talk by saying that he is neither a motivational speaker nor a political leader.
"I'm not here to tell you, 'You can do it,' because maybe you just can't do it," he said.
A part of McGruden's talk focused on the lack of black political leadership today. He said that black youth mistakenly think that black entertainers are political leaders.
"Please don't mistake me for a leader, because when things get tight, I am going to Canada," McGruden told the audience and then did a dance, to emphasize the fact that he considers himself just an entertainer. He said that all one can hope is that entertainers use their popularity for good.
McGruden complained about big corporations that control what people see on television. He believes that the government needs to take action on anti-trust laws and break up the big media conglomerates, because now "only 10 people in the world control 90 percent of what we see," he said.
McGruden believes that, had Martin Luther King Jr. been an activist in today's society, nobody would know who he was because he would not be allowed on television due to the tight hold that white corporations have on the media.
Today, "The Boondocks" appears in over 200 newspapers across the country. And McGruden took the time yesterday to discuss what types of material make it into his popular strip.
"I push the limits, but there are still things even I don't talk about," he said. "You can't talk about the police... You can try and slip in stuff that the masses won't understand and hope that the people at the newspapers aren't hip enough to get it."
McGruden explained what he likes about writing his comic strips. "What's great about being a cartoonist is you can be completely irresponsible."
Rachel Hartman, a cartoonist whose husband is a physicist at Penn, came all the way from Wynnewood, Pa., to see McGruden.
"His comic strip is one of my favorites," Hartman said. "I like it because it is very different from everything else."
McGruden was brought to Penn by the Afro-American Studies Program Undergraduate Advisory Board.
