February 26, 2025
Noon to 1 pm
Ellis Library 114A
In conjunction with the exhibition “A Historic Look at Black Labor in St. Louis through the Eyes of Artist Spencer T. Banks,” Dr. Joan Stack, presents a lecture that seeks to revive the legacy of an important Black Missouri artist. In 1962 a reporter for the St. Louis Argus called Spencer T. Banks, “one of the most popular artists in St. Louis,” yet despite his cultural importance, his name has faded from public memory. Between 1930 and 1970, Banks not only did design work for many important Black businesses, but he also created the groundbreaking comic strip Pokenia for the St. Louis Argus, likely the first published newspaper comic with a Black heroine.