Carter G. Woodson Lecture: Aaron McGruder

The Carter G. Woodson Lecture with Aaron McGruder, creator of "The Boondocks", will be held on October 3, at 7:30 p.m. in the Winter Visual and Performing Arts Center.

Aaron McGuder is the creative genius behind "The Boondocks", the animated comedy series based on his award winning comic strip of the same name, from Sony Pictures Television for Cartoon Network's Adult Swim. "The Boondocks" tells the story of Huey and Riley, two kids who move from the south side of Chicago to the suburbs with their Granddad, Robert Freeman. McGruder has voiced his thoughts on the world through Huey and Riley and has tackled controversial topics such as race relations, interracial marriage, bi-racial identity and juvenile delinquency, in addition to political happenings and current events. Launched in 1999, "The Boondocks" was published in over 150 newspapers across the nation, making it the second largest launch for a strip ever, surpassing such long-running standards as "Calvin & Hobbs" and "For Better or For Worse." Within its first few months in print, "The Boondocks" quickly made its way into 200 publications and today the groundbreaking strip can be seen in more than 350 newspapers nationwide.

Keeping his career diverse, he received the prestigious "Chairman's Award" at the NAACP Image Awards in 2002. In his own unique way, he uses Huey and Riley to open the lines of communication between adults and children on an often unspoken topic. Additionally, McGruder was featured as one of People magazine's "25 Most Intriguing People" and  USA Today also called him "the most dangerous black man" and compared his voice to that of Langston Hughes.

Price: This event is free and open to the public; however, tickets are required.