Aaron McGruder Biography

Fast Facts

• Was nominated for a Black Reel Award for Best Screenplay for "Red Tails" in 2013
• Graduated from the University of Maryland, where he debuted "The Boondocks" in the campus newspaper, with a degree in African American Studies
• Worked as a DJ on the "Soul Controllers Mix Show" at WMUC, the student-run radio station at the University of Maryland
• Created his highly popular and controversial comic strip "The Boondocks" in the late 1990s
• Quote: "Good satire goes beyond the specific point it's trying to make and teaches you how to think critically․ Even when your favorite cartoonist retires or Colbert wraps it up, you're not left believing everything they're telling you․"
• Quote: "(On "The Boondocks"): "It was important to offend, but equally important to offend for the right reasons․․․It was always done with a keen sense of duty, history, culture, and love․ Anything less would have been simply unacceptable․""
• Best known as the creator and executive producer of "The Boondocks" and "Black Jesus․"