Cennamo to appear with comic luminary in SDS history
BY MARLI GUZZETTA INDEPENDENT ARTS EDITOR
In 1968, James Cennamo was a 13- year-old Brooklynite who, along with his buddies, idolized the antiwar radicals of the time, specifically the members of Students for Democratic Societies. Cennamo and his friends even formed their own group, "Children's Strike for Peace."

Above: Graphic novel icon Harvey Pekar, author of "American Splendor," and our very own James Cennamo at a conference for the Movement for Democratic Societies. Below: A sample of the story Cennamo wrote for a forthcoming book on the history of Students for Democratic Societies.

"Unlike other 13 year olds, we were stapling things together and having our own little newsletter to stop the war. We wanted to be radicals. We wanted to be hippies. We emulated those people," said Cennamo, who recently answered a call for submissions by Brown University professor Paul Buhle, who wanted artwork, stories and other reminiscences of bygone SDS days for a book and SDS conference.

"I was too young then. I didn't have photos or anything, so I did a cartoon," said Cennamo, who submitted a threepage story (approximately one page for every month the Children's Strike for Peace was in existence) about trying to walk the walk of an SDS member in the Converse of a 13 year old. The apex of the group's career was participating in an anti-war march from Columbia University to Central Park.

Buhle selected Cennamo's story for the book and invited Cennamo to participate on a panel of cartoonists at the "Movement for a Democratic Society - Port of Providence Conference" at Brown University, which commemorated the 40th Anniversary of the SDS Port of Huron Conference. (MDS is a wing of the organization for people who are not students.)

Last weekend, Cennamo traveled to Providence, R.I. to sit on the panel alongside - get this - graphic novel luminary and SDS member Harvey Pekar, author of "American Splendor." (You may have seen the filmic version of the graphic novel starring Paul Giamatti a few years ago.)

"He was a really down-to-earth, sweet guy," Cennamo said of Pekar. "He came in, had a muffin, sat down, and we had a nice chat."

The book that Buhle is compiling, entitled "Students for a Democratic Society: A Graphic History," is due out this fall with Farrar, Straus and Giroux. Gary and Laura Dumm, who often collaborate with Pekar, are organizing the book, which will include Cennamo's three-page story alongside Pekar's 50-page account of the history of the SDS.

Cennamo's work will also appear in a traveling exhibition of cartoons from the book.

In addition to validating his cartooning abilities, the opportunity to participate in the book and conference struck a nostalgic chord, Cennamo said.

"For me, it represented the need for this type of movement again," he said. "We need them both now to address

what's going on in the world." I

You can see James Cennamo's cartoons every week on page 6 of The Nantucket Independent.