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Milele Chikasa Anana,
Publisher of Umoja Magazine
Photo by Brava Magazine
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Jerry
Butler, one of the Village’s best known artists who also has a national
profile, has rendered the 8th Kwanzaa cover especially designed for UMOJA.
Readers who have kept pace
with his series of covers will recognize the familiar icons of the
checkerboard and stripes patterns, the faces without features, but not
without emotion, the classy clothes which his character always wear and of
course his savvy use of reds and browns supplemented with carefully placed
black and white colors. The Kwanzaa table set up with seven pieces and the
seven candles have always been the core of his paintings. If you have past
issues of the December issues, put them side by side and these icons will
jump out at you.
The art covers of UMOJA remain
the magazine’s flagship. What I like about each and every artist is that the
first look at the painting does not reveal the whole story.
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Jerry’s
personalities are always strong, having a presence of courage and
commitment. In this painting, an 18" x 24" oil on board, there is
but one personality. The artist has artfully created a mirror
image of the same man. “You have to understand that you have to be
able to cover your own back,” says Jerry as he talks about his
artistic intent. “One way of doing that is to be your best self,
to be your authentic self. Another way is to covet knowledge as a
covering for your back.”
In the upper left
corner, a subtle image of books and the scales of justice (a bit
more visible on the original) symbolize how Jerry and others have
covered their backs. In this way, Jerry chooses to emphasize the
power of education. Jerry’s education encompasses a bachelor’s
degree, a master’s and a Ph.D. Most recently, he acquired a
master’s in landscape architecture from UW Madison and he is now
pursing designs of public art and murals. Jerry’s resume being a
professor of art, designing posters for non-profit organizations,
illustrating richly colored
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books for children and authoring two children’s books of his own
dominated by bold art.
The holiday season is a time for joy and a time to be with and to
be thankful for families. It ends one year of blessings and gives
us a chance to enter a new year expectant of good things.
I continue to be most grateful for the opportunity to do this
ministry in publishing stories about the accomplishments of people
in my Village. I have to admit that it is my passion. I have to
admit that it is my raison d’etre. I have to admit that it brings
tears to my eyes in those moments of quietness when I think about
the children you have pushed to new heights, the businesses you
have opened, the ways you have volunteered, the educational doors
you have opened for yourself–all the positive things you do make a
small, but significant difference. God willing I will be watching
and writing about you in 2008. Thank you for giving me a ministry.
It is, indeed, my sacred space with you.
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