There’s no truer form of authenticity than passionately sharing what drives you.
Mike Dando, an associate professor of English at St. Cloud State University, certainly isn’t afraid to share what he loves.
Whether it’s comics, hip-hop or pop culture, Dando proudly strikes up any conversation about what he enjoys.
His presence can’t really be contained in a room. His teaching style is boisterous and engaging, and he’s the kind of person you hear coming down the hall before even seeing him.
Dando, who has been at SCSU for six years, brings that same energy to his community-based research. It boils down to three topics that all work in tandem: pop culture, civic engagement and literacy development. He uses hip-hop culture and comics/graphic novels as primary mediums to conduct his
research.
“That’s where our young people spend their time and energy,” Dando said. “I want to meet students where they are; that’s their turf.”
And that also means meeting them directly in their own communities.
The way to do it?
Dando brings the supplies. And the kids discover how much they have to say.
Discovering imagination
Dando has run nearly a dozen community workshops in the past three years, which can range from a few hours during an afternoon or last up to four days.
Hip-hop, art, dance and illustrated media shape a huge part of popular culture. Dando has seen that young people can express their wants, needs and desires about what the world can be if they have a creative outlet to do so.
Why not provide them one?
“Kids have a lot to say, and they are super smart and brilliant; this gives an avenue to tell stories on their own terms and in their own ways,” Dando said. “They can articulate and advocate for themselves from a younger age. Once they are more engaged in their community and know that their voice matters, they can discover how to use their skills to better it.”
Dando meets the participants with a shared passion: comics. Dando has done writing for Image Comics
and consultant work for Marvel, DC and other popular brands, turning his own fandom into expression.
“Comics are about more than pictures, they are storytelling,” Dando said. “Using superheroes as a focus allows the kids to evaluate their worldviews on topics like justice and fairness.”
It’s an easy sell to have kids make comics and use cutting-edge technology like 3D or laser printers. Dando provides the supplies, while community groups have no cost: the students just need to bring their imagination.
To get them to tap into their imagination, Dando uses the comic book “Lion Man” as a mentor text,
where students can read about the first Black superhero and use it as inspiration to create or imagine.
Dando, award-winning writer John Jennings and artist David Brame have created a second edition of “Lion Man” and have also developed a comic series called “The Mighty Struggle,” which presents the idea of a popular character like Thor from Marvel being powered by African ancestry instead of Nordic ancestry. All of these comics are free to download online and are a valuable educational tool from Rosarium Publishing.
Once participants read the comics, they move to the task at hand: create a piece of futuristic technology and describe how it would affect their life. No constraints. Just pure creativity and imagination.
“They have ideas of what they wish to see, and they know the assets and challenges of their neighborhoods and communities,” Dando said. “Through creative means or ideas, we ask what would they do to dream or imagine a more thriving or vibrant future.”
The 12- to 18-year-olds have plenty of fascinating thoughts about what they can bring to the table to benefit the community.
One example that came out of a workshop was an individual re-imagining green space in urban areas. The student lived in a food desert, so they imagined what it would look like to use urban space to have gardens every two floors of downtown buildings. They’d rather go two floors than two miles for fresh food.
“What we’ve noticed in doing this is young people are very concerned with being connected with one another and to the broader community,” Dando said. “They have a defined sense of self; how we rely on each other in the community is something on young peoples’ minds.”
Best thing that has ever happened to me”
The United Way of Central Minnesota is one of the community groups that has partnered the most
often to host Dando’s workshops.
It started in collaboration with the “Lion Man” literacy project, seeing a great opportunity for young people to learn about Afrofuturism and literacy through the medium of comic books. Afrofuturism is looking at what future technology could look like in the African diasporic community, with a prominent cultural example being Black Panther from Marvel Comics.
Amy Trombley, vice president for education for the United Way of Central Minnesota, said the workshops are a great opportunity for developing a positive Black identity for young people in the community.
“Dr. Dando does a great job with his spirit and energy in bringing it out of each young person,” Trombley said. “He wants them leaning into their true selves, and that’s what we’re trying to do too. He brings it to a level that youth get excited about, and he does it so eloquently through his passion and imagination.”
United Way also partnered to host a night at the Stearns History Museum. The youth participants got to display their work and share their comic characters, also getting to work with notable people in the comic book world like “Lion Man” writer John Jennings, who is also a professor at University of California- Riverside. Trombley said it was inspiring to see the kids light up and be proud of their presented work.
There are great stories that emerge out of every workshop. Last summer the United Way hosted a workshop with members from the Boys and Girls Club and 2Much Talent. One participant came up to a staff member and simply said: “This is the best thing that has ever happened to me in my whole life.”
“It was really moving to see that this experience was so amazing for them,” Trombley said. “Being able to create enriching opportunities for young people is huge … seeing stories like that emerge as little nuggets of inspiration is the power of this work.”
Trombley has seen some of that same magic happen with youth involvement in St. Cloud State’s growing Hip Hop Education Summit, which brings many young people onto campus who have never been to SCSU.
“SCSU is a gem in our community that we continue to appreciate, value and access as a huge resource,” Trombley, who is an SCSU graduate, said. “The depth of academic knowledge and what they provide to young people in this area is invaluable. Every child deserves high-value opportunities, and SCSU has been able to deliver.”
Comic-Con Museum
Dando’s work hasn’t stopped in St. Cloud. He’s also worked in the Bronx, New York, and he recently had a chance to expand that work to a home of significant relevance in the comic book world: San Diego.
San Diego Comic-Con draws over 130,000 people for its five- day convention every July, with a legacy of more than 50 years.
But there was a desire to celebrate the magic of popular arts all year round. That’s when the idea of the San Diego Comic-Con Museum was born.
Emily Ward-Schindler, the first director of education for the museum, believes the space can serve an important function.
“We are a learning institution; we think when we engage in young people’s interests, they also learn in very deep ways,” she said.
The day she accepted her new role, she happened to be getting dinner with Dando while they were both attending a American Education Research Association conference. It was being held at the same convention center that hosts Comic-Con in San Diego.
The two had known each other from their grad school days in Madison as doctoral students. When Ward-Schindler took the job, she knew Dando would be a perfect place to start as one of her first collaborators.
“I knew I’d need kind collaborators who are very engaged and excited; Mike is all of those things,” Ward-Schindler said.
The two collaborated to put on a pilot program of one of Dando’s workshops at the Comic-Con Museum over the summer, bringing 20 justice and court-involved youth together for three days.
They took on the challenge of designing an artifact that symbolizes a problem they faced in their community. A weekend of drawing, sewing, fabricating and soldering commenced.
“Mike’s work has helped us figure out how to get kids to ground their dreams in what could be possible in popular art and media,” Ward-Schindler said. “Using their imagination is not something they get to do all the time.”
She saw exciting results from the pilot program, and Ward- Schindler hopes they can find more funding to support the work and refine the design to make it available for even more kids.
And she has nothing but praise for her colleague from Minnesota.
“Mike is a wonderful person, just a really kind person,” Ward-Schindler said. “He’s excited and engaged in the work; I think we’re all just lucky to be in his orbit.”
To Be Continued …
What is Dando trying to discover with his research?
“The research component is asking questions about what kinds of stories are helping students or young people think about their lives in personal, cultural and community perspectives,” Dando said.
Grants from various organizations have helped Dando continue to expand his research and work in the community. All of these projects began in 2021 as part of SCSU’s Miller Scholar Award, along with the Early Career Award. Other support has come from the Minnesota Humanities Council, Minnesota Central Arts Board and the United Way of Central Minnesota.
“It’s been really cool to see the community support for the youth,” Dando said. “The response we’re
seeing is the community is resonating with the research we’re doing.”
The work in examining critical literacy is ongoing. The subject is essential in all areas of education or the workforce: being able to deliver your message in an effective way and articulating it across different mediums will always be a skill worth investigating.
Dando has a history of doing research in non-traditional ways. His dissertation at the University of Wisconsin-Madison was a mix- tape he produced of Madison youth recording an alternative album. Blending art and learning matters to the community. Dando has seen it first-hand.
“There was a seventh grader who said she hadn’t had a chance to use my imagination forever and that
she used to have good ideas,” Dando said. “It confirmed to me that it’s something kids want to tap into … but they often have to adapt to a strict environment. That’s why it’s exciting what we’re doing.”
And he’s clear about one thing: the research is nowhere near complete. There’s still so much left to discover, and the growing partnership with communities across the country will make it happen.
“My research at its core is community-driven; if there is no community, I can’t do any,” Dando said. “It is in complete partnership with folks in the community. They’re the gas in the tank. What’s most important to me is seeing what education opportunities there are for students and how are they making their own.”
