Cartoonist Keith Knight uses his talent to combine art and social activism

Cartoonist Keith Knight isn't a student at UNC, but he does know how to school people.

TEDxUNC held their first salon of the year in Greenlaw Hall on Sept. 28 to promote entrepreneurship and creativity without barriers. 

The list of guest speakers included  Chapel Hill resident Keith Knight, a widely regarded political cartoonist, social activist and hip-hop musician. 

His resume displays numerous awards, including Comic-Con International's Inkpot Award, the Harvey Award, several Glyph Awards and being named a 2015 History Maker by the NAACP. As a  critically acclaimed artist, he also faces controversy, especially because he deals with complex issues such as racism and police brutality. 

“I am not going to pull punches,” Knight said. “It creates dialogue. It gets people to consider the complex issues in civil ways.”

Knight is the creator of three popular comic strips, titled "The Knight Life," "(th)ink" and "The K Chronicles," that each showcase his artistic ability. This talent goes back to his time as a young student when he used comic drawings in his school projects. 

“I do autobiographical comic strips,” Knight said during the public event. “I take something that has happened in my own life and then I sort of have fun with it.”

“I had always drawn as a kid,” said Knight. “I would always get higher grades if I incorporated cartoons into my school work.”

At an early age, Knight knew that he wanted to be a cartoonist. 

“I just thought if I could do this for a living, that would be really great,” he said.

Despite knowing he wanted to become a cartoonist, Knight didn't know what he would focus on until he discovered his passion for social activism. His junior year of college, Knight was in an American literature course, in which the readings were comprised of work by African-American novelists such as Richard Wright, James Baldwin and Maya Angelou.

“When someone asked, ‘Why are you giving us all black writers?’ My professor said, ‘I’m giving you all American writers.’ That just exploded my head,” Knight said. “I just thought that is what I want to do. I want to be, in some ways, an activist within what I do for a living.”

Over the years, Knight became a distinguished source for satirical comic book writing and illustration. He established a credible voice as his artwork was published in various publications, including The Washington Post, The San Francisco Chronicle, ESPN The Magazine and LA Weekly.  

Knight believes, especially in the light of the recent conflicts involving police officers and black civilians, that everybody has a responsibility to eliminate racism. 

“If I have a bumper sticker on my car that says, ‘Save the Rain Forest,’ that does not mean forget the other forests," he said. "It means that the rain forests are getting cut down in a really bad way, and we need to do something about it. That’s what Black Lives Matter means.”

Farial Rahman, a UNC student who attended the event, thought Knight was doing important work. 

"I think it forces you to react which ensures dialogue on the issues at hand, and that's exactly the goal of his comics," she said. "So that's awesome."

Anna Griffin, a sophomore journalism and advertising major, said she appreciates Knight's messages. 

"He focuses on some issues that people either choose to overlook or they just don't understand their gravity," she said. "It's like one of those jokes where you feel bad for laughing, because you know it's serious."

For Knight, he's on a mission to inspire.

“I can’t do it alone,” Knight said. “I think, collectively, everybody needs to consider their own role in all of this, and understand that it’s more than just police shooting people. It’s systemic, and something needs to be done about it.” 

@keberly1996

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