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Cartoonist New Book, ‘Just Us!’ Should Have Everyone ‘Laughin’ and ‘Signifyin’

NNPA NEWSWIRE — “Just Us!” counts as one African American’s perspective on the condition of blacks in America and the 193-page book spotlights Carr’s style of drawing and wit. The book is broken down into nine categories: Obama, GOP, Racism, Crime, Sports, Cops, Youth/Education, and Transition and Entertainment. “There’s a brief narrative before each category that helps define who I am and how my life experiences shaped me, my concepts and beliefs,” said cartoonist and author Walt Carr.

Published

6 years ago

September 22, 2019

Oakland Post

Photo Courtesy of Walt Carr, Jr.

Walt Carr Jr. Releases a Collection of his Legendary Cartoons

By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Correspondent
@StacyBrownMedia

Ebony magazine’s “Strictly For Laughs” page may be gone but Walt Carr, the cartoonist responsible for bringing smiles to the faces of millions of Ebony readers is still around.

Carr’s new book, “Just Us!” is now available and it’s a collection of his previously printed editorial cartoons that have intrigued countless readers over an award-winning 50-year career.

Carr said he had more than 1,200 cartoons to select from for “Just Us!,” which is a play on the word “justice.”

“I’ve been a freelance cartoonist for over 50 years and started drawing political cartoons in 1993,” Carr said.

Aside from being a long-time contributor to Ebony, Carr’s cartoons have appeared in Playboy, Negro Digest, Metropolitan, Homecoming, Jet, Black World, the ribald Players Magazine and numerous black newspapers across the country, like the Washington Informer, New Pittsburgh Courier, Pasadena Journal, Norfolk Journal & Guide, Sacramento Observer, Philadelphia Tribune, Michigan Chronicle, Wilmington Journal, Cleveland Call & Post and the Baltimore Afro-American.

Born in Baltimore in 1932, Carr’s family was one of the first to move into the Gilmor Homes, a new housing project at that time that’s now scheduled for demolition.

In 1944, his family moved to Philadelphia – thus when asked where he’s from, Carr says he’s a “Balti-delphian.

Carr’s father, Walter Sr., worked as a circulation manager for the Afro-American newspaper and his great-grandfather, Josiah Diggs, was the first African American to build a movie theater in the city of Baltimore – the Dunbar on Central Avenue.

A Morgan State University graduate, Carr played football and ran track at the school where he was also a member of Kappa Alpha Psi, Inc., and a charter member of the 100 Black Men of Maryland, Inc.

“Just Us!” counts as one African American’s perspective on the condition of blacks in America and the 193-page book spotlights Carr’s style of drawing and wit.

The book is broken down into nine categories: Obama, GOP, Racism, Crime, Sports, Cops, Youth/Education, Transition and Entertainment.

“There’s a brief narrative before each category that helps define who I am and how my life experiences shaped me, my concepts and beliefs,” Carr said.

“I’m a firm believer in the effectiveness of visual commentary and the relevancy of a strong black press. I believe my drawing style and wit captures, highlights and exposes the underbelly of the hypocrisy and racism that has engulphed this seemingly rudderless nation for decades.

Over the years, Carr said he rarely saw people of color in cartoons on the editorial pages of mainstream press unless it was something catastrophic or negative.

“You never see the black spin, the black perspective, if you will, on national issues and how they impact the black community and the black condition in America as we live and breathe it every day,” Carr said, adding that he determined that was a glaring omission.

“When I retired from the Social security Administration in 1990, where I was chief of the Visual Graphics Section, I decided to switch from single-panel gag cartoons to political cartoons,” he said.

His said his motivation for writing the book was quite simple.

“I thought I had something that was worthy of sharing and not just with a black audience,” Carr said.

“The direness of so many issues the black community faces on a daily basis sometimes makes it difficult to provoke a laugh or a smile but, perhaps, the cartoon will inform, educate or, hopefully, inspire the viewer,” he said.

White people also can learn something from the book which should help them to have a better understanding of where African Americans come from, Carr said.

Finally, Carr said his source of inspiration remains his parents, particularly his father.

“[Dad] planted the activist seed in me when I was 11 years when he told me I was going to have to be ten better than the white man to make it in this world,” Carr said.

“He and my mother were arrested for protesting police brutality in Baltimore in 1941 – almost 20 years before the civil rights movement. His activism never died. From 1960 until 1993, he published a weekly tabloid called ‘The Nitelifer.’ Which carried ads for all the black nightclubs, bars, black beauty shops and barbershops, black car salesmen, dances, and concerts in Baltimore,” Carr said.

For his father, writing the weekly editorial was his main goal — his pride and joy — as was “staying on black folks cases about what we needed to do to improve our lot,” Carr added.

“My ideas have to come from my personality and make-up. I love a good joke and I love to make people laugh, which is the best free tonic in the world, and the cats I’ve hung out with over the years are an awesome bunch of guys. I eat out twice a week with these guys – we call it ‘laffin’, lyin’ and signifyin’. I’ve stolen gags from them from time to time and I’m an avid reader,” Carr said.

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Remembering George Floyd

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3 days ago

May 25, 2025

Oakland Post

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OP-ED: Oregon Bill Threatens the Future of Black Owned Newspapers and Community Journalism

BLACKPRESSUSA NEWSWIRE — Nearly half of Oregon’s media outlets are now owned by national conglomerates with no lasting investment in local communities. According to an OPB analysis, Oregon has lost more than 90 news jobs (and counting) in the past five years. These were reporters, editors and photographers covering school boards, investigating corruption and telling community stories, until their jobs were cut by out-of-state corporations.

Published

4 days ago

May 23, 2025

Oakland Post

By Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis, Jr.
President and CEO, National Newspaper Publishers Association

For decades, The Skanner newspaper in Portland, the Portland Observer, and the Portland Medium have served Portland, Oregon’s Black community and others with a vital purpose: to inform, uplift and empower. But legislation now moving through the Oregon Legislature threatens these community news institutions—and others like them.

As President and CEO of the National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA), which represents more than 255 Black-owned media outlets across the United States—including historic publications like The Skanner, Portland Observer, and the Portland Medium—l believe that some Oregon lawmakers would do more harm than good for local journalism and community-owned publications they are hoping to protect.

Oregon Senate Bill 686 would require large digital platforms such as Google and Meta to pay for linking to news content. The goal is to bring desperately needed support to local newsrooms. However, the approach, while well-intentioned, puts smaller, community-based publications at a future severe financial risk.

We need to ask – will these payments paid by tech companies benefit the journalists and outlets that need them most? Nearly half of Oregon’s media outlets are now owned by national conglomerates with no lasting investment in local communities. According to an OPB analysis, Oregon has lost more than 90 news jobs (and counting) in the past five years. These were reporters, editors, and photographers covering school boards, investigating corruption, and telling community stories, until their jobs were cut by out-of-state corporations.

Legislation that sends money to these national conglomerate owners—without the right safeguards to protect independent and community-based outlets—rewards the forces that caused this inequitable crisis in the first place. A just and inclusive policy must guarantee that support flows to the front lines of local journalism and not to the boardrooms of large national media corporations.

The Black Press exists to fill in the gaps left by larger newsrooms. Our reporters are trusted messengers. Our outlets serve as forums for civic engagement, accountability and cultural pride. We also increasingly rely on our digital platforms to reach our audiences, especially younger generations—where they are.

We are fervently asking Oregon lawmakers to take a step back and engage in meaningful dialogue with those most affected: community publishers, small and independent outlets and the readers we serve. The Skanner, The Portland Observer, and The Portland Medium do not have national corporate parents or large investors. And they, like many smaller, community-trusted outlets, rely on traffic from search engines and social media to boost advertising revenue, drive subscriptions, and raise awareness.

Let’s work together to build a better future for Black-owned newspapers and community journalism that is fair, local,l and representative of all Oregonians.

Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis Jr., President & CEO, National Newspaper Publishers Association

Oakland Post

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Hate and Chaos Rise in Trump’s America

BLACKPRESSUSA NEWSWIRE — Tactics ranged from local policy manipulation to threats of violence. The SPLC documented bomb threats at 60 polling places in Georgia, traced to Russian email domains.

Published

4 days ago

May 23, 2025

Stacy M. Brown

By Stacy M. Brown
Black Press USA Senior National Correspondent

The Southern Poverty Law Center has identified 1,371 hate and antigovernment extremist groups operating across the United States in 2024. In its latest Year in Hate & Extremism report, the SPLC reveals how these groups are embedding themselves in politics and policymaking while targeting marginalized communities through intimidation, disinformation, and violence. “Extremists at all levels of government are using cruelty, chaos, and constant attacks on communities and our democracy to make us feel powerless,” said SPLC President Margaret Huang. The report outlines how hard-right groups aggressively targeted diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives throughout 2024. Figures on the far right falsely framed DEI as a threat to white Americans, with some branding it a form of “white genocide.” After the collapse of Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge, a former Utah legislator blamed the incident on DEI, posting “DEI = DIE.”

Tactics ranged from local policy manipulation to threats of violence. The SPLC documented bomb threats at 60 polling places in Georgia, traced to Russian email domains. Similar threats hit Jewish institutions and Planet Fitness locations after far-right social media accounts attacked them for trans-inclusive policies. Telegram, which SPLC describes as a hub for hate groups, helped extremists cross-recruit between neo-Nazi, QAnon, and white nationalist spaces. The platform’s lax moderation allowed groups like the Terrorgram Collective—designated terrorists by the U.S. State Department—to thrive. Militia movements were also reorganized, with 50 groups documented in 2024. Many, calling themselves “minutemen,” trained in paramilitary tactics while lobbying local governments for official recognition. These groups shared personnel and ideology with white nationalist organizations.

The manosphere continued to radicalize boys and young men. The Fresh & Fit podcast, now listed as a hate group, promoted misogyny while mocking and attacking Black women. Manosphere influencers used social media algorithms to drive youth toward male-supremacy content. Turning Point USA played a key role in pushing white nationalist rhetoric into mainstream politics. Its leader Charlie Kirk claimed native-born Americans are being replaced by immigrants, while the group advised on Project 2025 and organized Trump campaign events. “We know that these groups build their power by threatening violence, capturing political parties and government, and infesting the mainstream discourse with conspiracy theories,” said Rachel Carroll Rivas, interim director of the SPLC’s Intelligence Project. “By exposing the players, tactics, and code words of the hard right, we hope to dismantle their mythology and inspire people to fight back.”

Click here for the full report or visit http://www.splcenter.org/resources/guides/year-hate-extremism-2024.