Jackie Ormes:
The First African American Woman Cartoonist

Sunday, March 21, 2010 • 3:00 p.m.
Brown v. Board of Education National Historic Site
1515 SE Monroe • Topeka, Kansas

Free and open to the public
RSVP by March 19, 2010 to
(785) 235-3939 or brownfound@juno.com

Celebrating Women's History Month
Presentation by Nancy Goldstien

Photograph: Jackie Ormes. Graphic: Cover of Jackie Ormes book.

Jackie Ormes: The First African American Woman Cartoonist, chronicles the life of a multi-talented woman who became a successful cartoonist. Ormes's cartoon characters– Torchy Brown, Candy, Patty-Jo, and Ginger –delighted readers of African American newspapers such as the Chicago Defender and Pittsburgh Courier between 1937-1956. This biographical presentation provides an invaluable glimpse into the history and culture of that era.

As a member of Chicago's black elite, Ormes's social circle included leading political figures and entertainers of the day. People who knew her say that she modeled some cartoon characters after herself as beautifully dressed and coiffed females, appearing and speaking out in ways that defied stereotyped images of blacks in the mainstream press. Ormes's political views, on display in some of her comic strips, eventually led to her investigation by the FBI during the McCarthy era. In the late 1940s, Ormes (1911-1985) transformed cartoon character Patty-Jo into a doll that is now a collector's item.

This presentation by Nancy Goldstein, includes a video display of many of Jackie Ormes's cartoons and comic strips, some in color, some from original artwork, and some digitally photographed from actual newspapers.

Learn more about the book...

Presented by the Brown Foundation for Educational Equity, Excellence and Research and the Brown v. Board of Education National Historic Site as part of the 2009-2010 program series, Unfolding Untold Stories. Download the 2009-2010 program brochure (1.8 MB PDF).
			Series sponsored in part by: