“The way to right wrongs is to turn the light of truth upon them”
Ida B. Wells-Barnett
“All lives matter.” That is a common response to the cry “Black Lives Matter.” Both are true. But It’s also true that more than any other group, Black lives are the ones being singled out by institutional policies that perpetuate racial profiling. Black lives are the ones being murdered by racists all too common in law enforcement. Hence the specificity of “Black Lives” in this movement whose time has come.
The Fashion Institute of Technology is a state school. It is a state “art school” and because of that, it has always been a pathway to the creative arts of countless students of color. Students from underserved communities have been coming to FIT for decades in order to express their creativity and their talent. Often a struggle due to economic hardship or cultural attitudes against less practical career paths. And yet they come. Eager to tell their stories through art. Passionate that their voices need to be heard.
It is with this in mind that the third annual Diversity Comic Con is proud to present as this year’s theme, “Black Stories Matter.” Not to say that all other stories don’t. But in this case and in this time, when we say “Black stories” we mean stories of injustice, adversity and inequality and the struggle to rise above them.
In this most devastating of years, we welcome creators from all walks of life and celebrate stories that open our eyes to what could be better and lift our spirits to what could be.
— Ramon Gil, Founder & Organizer