Reflections on Kadir Nelson, artist and writer

Reflections on Kadir Nelson, artist and writer
by Michael Worthy, 11th grade, Perry Traditional Academy and Hear Me intern

Kadir - he’s calm.  He’s funny.  People that are comfortable in front of groups – he’s one of those people – he’s really good at communicating with anybody.  Just the way he was on stage, he was talking as though it was just me and him.  He was relaxed, he didn’t stutter, not even once, didn’t choke on his words when a kid asked him questions.  He was really professional. 

His presentation was key – it was unique, point-by-point. Basically, he started off talking about how he was a kid who liked to draw, just like any other kid, and as he progressed, he showed how his pictures got better - as he grew older, his pictures started to develop with more detail and texture.  He told how he came to draw a particular story the way he did, like he had a real nice picture of Mickey Mouse and Michael Jordan, replacing Michael Jordan’s head with Mickey Mouse’s head while Michael was dunking the basketball.  Kadir wrote a book about Michael Jordan, as a matter of fact.  He combined his favorite cartoon character with his favorite athlete!

What inspired me about him is that he didn’t have to be the best at everything to do what he wanted to do – he is most famous for his writings, but he is a really awesome painter and has skills.  He had dreams and he followed them, basically –he was able to use both of his skills to create something that we love reading – the book was called Salt in His Shoes: Michael Jordan in Pursuit of a Dream. If he can do it, I can do it – he basically showed me that no matter what race you are, strive for what you want.

I am reading WE ARE THE SHIP: The Story of Negro League Baseball by Kadir Nelson, now – I got it at my school library.  Today, Miss Jen distinctively told me to get a Carnegie Library card at the Downtown Carnegie Library on Smithfield, so therefore I am able to access books at any library.

Michael Worthy and Devontay Eberhardt, Hear Me high school interns, heard Kadir Nelson speak with Hear Me Education and Outreach Coordinator Jessica Kaminsky – together, the three of them enjoyed Kadir Nelson’s lecture and afterward recorded audience member’s audio reflections. Kadir Nelson spoke for Pittsburgh Arts and Lectures, which will present author Cornelia Funke on April 10 at 2 p.m.