In a world where being politically conscious and is the norm, never has social issues been more mainstream. No one can turn on the television, listen to the radio, stream online, without someone discussing the current administration, the long history of misogyny and devaluation of women, and the societal ills which lead to the Black Lives Matter movement.  I remember a time in popular culture when people who brought up these same issues, were constantly being labeled as “conspiracy theorists”, often dismissing their claims, and often in TV shows and movies, being portrayed as some crazy hobo from the Reagan era. I remember growing up, especially when I was in high school, I read books, played bon the school’s basketball team and listened to hip hop, and if I said anything, that sounded “woke”, my classmates used to call me, “Elijah Muhammad”, because it told a truth that only their parents would say and also the movie, Malcolm X was popular at the time.

The closest person I saw at the time that resembled what me and my conscious friends talked about, was Freddie, from a Different World. She was beautiful, smart, had “knowledge of self” and wanted to educate her brothers and sisters. Her evolution on the show mirrored mines and my friends, as we read even more books (i.e. The People’s History of The United States, Behold a Pale Horse), gained an understanding of code-switching and became as most individuals, complex and well-read adults. Since that show, ended not too many forms of entertainment, comes close to showing the realities pf being socially conscious, except for Chappelle Show and Key and Peele.

Then through an article on another website I found about (H)afrocentric, it was described on that website as “a female version of Boondocks”, which after reading this volume, I feel minimized its description, and just how impactful this book was on me. When you meet Naima and her friends, it appears they were just a bunch of friends hanging out, that’s until you starting reading into their dialogue, which is the main attraction of this book, as it delves into the issues affecting them, their neighborhood, and their community. We catch up with our characters as they, begin a movement, creating a website, called mydiaspora.com, where that connects people over the gentrification of their neighborhoods. We end the book, as our “heroes” organizing an event the same day as another event.

This book by far, resonated with me in ways that, satisfied my love of comics and love of seeing positive portrayals of people of color. The story and dialogue by Jewels, is funny, relatable, and conscious. The art by Jewels, is vibrant and I have never seen an artist make the most of every panel, like she does, as in like your favorite movie, the best jokes are hidden in the scene. Overall, an excellent book, for anyone who loves comics like Love and Rockets, television shows like The Boondocks and movies like Get Out.

Story: Jewels Art: Ronald Nelson
Story: 10 Art: 10 Overall:10 Recommendation: Buy