On Thursday, I attended the Black/Excellence event that is held in New York City College of Technology. The event showcased the work of Khary Randolph, Kwanza Osajyefo, and Joseph Illidge. They provided useful insights on how it is like to be the only colored person working in a white dominant industry. I am not really into illustration and comic book, but Khary’s works really caught my attention. The color palette and composition of the illustration was really interesting and fascinating. I can see that he pays a lot of attention to the details. Even the fonts fit perfectly to the theme.
They talked about race. Each of the panelist talked about their struggles in the industry as a black person. They mentioned that they had to work twice as hard as their white colleagues to prove themselves. I was not born in America, so I have an accent when I speak English and my vocabulary is not the best. I’m really afraid that I will have to face these obstacles when I enter the design field. I am afraid that people will treat me differently because of my ethnicity. However, after the panelist talked about their experience on how to get through those situations, it really helps me a lot. They also talked about the importance of networking. I learned that it is really important to put myself out there and meet more people in the industry. It is actually one of my weaknesses. I am an introvert and I don’t really talk much, so I am not too comfortable in making new friends. Now I know how importance networking is, and I will try my best to achieve that goal. Overall, this event was really helpful for me.
