W&M Featured Events

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This event will feature Shawnna Graham, granddaughter of Billy Graham, in conversation with Omiymi (Artisia) Green, Professor of Theatre and Africana Studies, about her grandfather's work and legacy.

About Billy Graham (1935-1997)
Billy Graham was the first African American hired by Stan Lee to work at Marvel Comics. His art in both the Black Panther and Luke Cage, Hero for Hire titles helped define the style and develop the fictional worlds that have remained immensely popular to this day. His contributions to the comic book community began creating a space for Black artists to call their own and brought Black readers characters that looked and talked like them in relatable situations. Graham also worked in theater, writing plays that were produced around the country and designing sets. His career even extended to film, where he had several small roles including appearing on screen with Woody Allen in Scenes from a Mall.

About Shawnna Graham
Shawnna is one of the granddaughters of the late artist Billy Graham. Since 2017, Shawnna has been working to keep her grandfather’s work and legacy alive through sharing his art and written work via social media and Inks Of Color, a platform for creators of color to share their work. Through this journey, Shawnna has attended and participated in exhibition shows, panel discussions, movie/show premiers and media interviews inspiring generations of comic and theater fans through the work of her grandfather, Billy.