Amos Paul Kennedy, Jr.: Citizen Printer

A self-described “humble negro printer,” Amos Paul Kennedy, Jr., is internationally celebrated for his type-driven messages of social justice and Black power, emblazoned in rhythmically layered and boldly inked prints made for the masses. Borrowing words from civil rights heroes such as Rosa Parks, Fannie Lou Hamer, Frederick Douglass, and Sojourner Truth, Kennedy issues bold statements on race, capitalism, history, and politics in exuberant, colorful, and one-of-a-kind posters and handbills. 

A vital monograph on a trailblazing contemporary Black artist, Citizen Printer features more than 800 reproductions representing the breadth of Kennedy’s letterpress prints (including rarely seen artists’ books), plus original portraiture of the maker at work, a powerful manifesto, and a foreword by New York Times bestselling author Austin Kleon, all presented in a dynamic and type-forward design from AND, the design studio of AIGA Award winner Gail Anderson and Joe Newton.

With essays by scholars Kelly Walters and Myron M. Beasley, Citizen Printer tells Kennedy’s inspiring story and contextualizes his work within the entwined legacies of Black printing and Black protest―and offers readers tools for lifting their voices so they too can

agitate, agitate, agitate

for a better TODAY.