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Racine Sun

Friday, September 12, 2025

This week in Racine County history: A noteworthy event that shaped our past (Aug. 17-23)

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Chester Commodore | https://aaregistry.org/story/chester-commodore-a-creative-cartoonist/

Chester Commodore | https://aaregistry.org/story/chester-commodore-a-creative-cartoonist/

This week in Racine County history.

"Chester Commodore, Born August 22, 1914, in Racine"

Chester Commodore was born on August 22, 1914, in Racine, Wisconsin. He moved to Chicago with his family in 1923 but spent his early years in Racine. Commodore became a notable African-American cartoonist, working for The Chicago Defender from the late 1940s. He took over Jay Jackson’s editorial cartoons after Jackson's death in 1954. Commodore’s work focused on social issues, particularly those affecting the African-American community, such as poverty and political exclusion. He won multiple awards throughout his career and was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize twelve times. In the 1970s and 1980s, he continued contributing cartoons to The Defender and mentored other artists. Commodore retired to Colorado in 1981 but returned to work in 1992. He passed away on April 10, 2004. His connection to Racine remains an important part of his story.

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