Written by: Vanessa Young
The panel kicked off with an emotional introduction from Black Panel founder Michael Davis, who did not moderate this panel for the first time in its almost 30 year history. He emphasized that this panel was completely all women, each pioneers in their fields and it was only right that a woman moderate. “We need to recognize, while we’re here, the powers of the black woman, the power of the grace that they’ve been handling themselves with all these years,” Davis said before passing the baton to moderator MD Marie.
The panel packed a powerful punch with guests writer Stacey McClain, Dr. Lando Tosaya, “Wonder Woman” writer Stephanie Williams, Sharon Cruz (founder and executive director of the Afro-Latino Education and Arts Collective), and blogger A. Jordan Lambert.
With the group being entirely Black women, the overarching theme of the panel was how each of their unique backgrounds influenced the work they do, the frustrations they have with certain media tropes, and centering Blackness. MD Marie navigated through a plethora of topics that helped give the audience a better sense of who each woman was. She asked how their cultures shape their personal missions and because Black people are not a monolith, the audience was treated with some poignant responses. Cruz talked about how the intersection of her Blackness and Afro-Puerto Rican roots inspires her through art and music. She thinks of herself as “collard greens and plantain,” touching on both sides of her family.
Williams, who is the first Black woman ever to be nominated for Best Writer at the Eisner Awards, talked about her ancestors’ influence. “I come from a people—a lot of us do in this world—that ingenuity, resilience, dedication, are something that is ingrained into our DNA, and that’s what I applied to my craft,” she said. “When I came into this game, because it is predominantly white men who rule this space, that I was going to have to move very differently, and I was going to have to dig deep, and I was going to transform, transmute, what my ancestors have been able to do.”
The panel featured more Q&As and some fun audience interactions, but one of the best questions was, “Why only one Black friend?” The room laughed, but it was a thoughtful ask that got some great answers. The “one Black friend” trope shows up too much in television, films, and comic books.
Lambert jumped in immediately saying a lot of writers “use diversity as a checkbox” with no real depth. “They’re not writing their experience, because if you are living an authentic life, your friend group doesn’t check boxes within that way,” she said.
Overall, the panel had a relaxed vibe that touched on intersectionality, tokenization, ancestral knowledge, along with storytelling that the audience got to be a part of. The Black Panel has always centered Black voices, that’s the entire point, but this year focusing on Black women, in particular, felt meaningful in a different way. Davis’ fervor in his introduction and closing statement set the tone for the entire affair.
The 29th annual Black Panel centers on Black women, with panelists discussing what inspires them, which characters ring true, and how and why they do what they do. Participants include Eisner-nominated Stephanie Williams, writer Stacey McClain, and returning panelist Dr. Lando Tosaya, with additional guests and surprises. Produced by Hannibal Tabu, with an introduction and closing by Black Panel founder Michael Davis.
