As part of The Creative Sanctum's Catalyst Commission, "Queens - I Love You, But You're Bringing Me Down..." was made in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and calls to the spirit of Bayanihan (a Tagalog term which means "to be in unity, to work together to achieve a specific goal"). Despite the fact that Queens is known as "The World's Borough," this comic was created as a love letter, and as a cathartic lament in its manifestations of white supremacy. With the upcoming primaries and local election, it is important for democracy to be sustained through civic participation in NYC elections. This is especially critical as "less than 54% of the population participated in NYC presidential elections", and even fewer took part in local elections. Please remember to choose candidates who understand white supremacy’s manifestations and have platforms and plans to address it.
For additional information, go to https://www.thecreativesanctum.com/catalyst-commissions
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Created in response to the 2022 presidential election in The Philippines. Aside from corruption, part of the reason Leni Robredo lost was due to sexism. As Nicole Curato, a sociology professor at the University of Canberra said "Sexism is part of the arsenal of disinformation...These are meant to humiliate women who are active in politics. It also sends a signal to other women who wish to speak up and take part..." The narrative was inspired by the work of another artist who currently cannot be named with the current state of the Anti-Terror Law. This comic features the iconic super hero Darna and women who work in the government trying to hold the line against Duterte-Marcos: Rowena Guanzon - the newly retired Commissioner of The Philippine Commission on Elections who tried to have Bong Bong Marcos disqualified during the election because of his tax evasion, Sentator Leila de Lima who is still currently wrongfully imprisoned for investigating Duterte's "war on drugs," Leni Robredo - As vice president, she was one of the few who kept tabs on Duterte's administration, especially when it came to the incomplete release of emergency funds meant to go to families who needed it the most during lockdown, co-founder/CEO of Rappler and 2021 Nobel Peace Prize recipient Maria Ressa who is also currently wrongfully imprisoned for publishing articles about Duterte's "war on drugs," Captain Nieves Fernandez - guerilya warrior who trained fellow guerillas in combat, weapon improvisation during WWII against Japanese soldiers, Carmen Rosales - Silver screen actress who after her husband died in combat, donned a fake mustache and joined the guerillas against said Japanese soldiers during WWII, and lastly Aeta women - one of the indigenous tribes of The Philippines. They are the original Pilipinxs, yet they still receive the worst treatment. Currently they are fighting for their land against mining, deforestation against illegal logging (some of the displacement falls under Duterte's "Build Build Build" Program).
