Bringing S.T.E.M. to Marginalized Students of Color One Comic Book at a Time

NEWARK, N.J., February 20, 2020 (Newswire.com) -  Independent comic book publisher, writer, creator and educator Naseed Gifted is getting more young people excited about S.T.E.M. through superheroes. Gifted uses his comic book, P.B.Soldier, to not only entertain, but to educate. Crowdfunding is the vehicle of choice for most independent creators these days and Gifted is no exception. His goal is to raise $10,000 in the next 30 days for the production, distribution and marketing of his 170-page graphic novel P.B.Soldier: The Awakening. A collected volume of the award-winning series. 

Gifted is also raising money for S.T.E.M. education programs in his hometown of Newark, NJ. If successful, the ambitious campaign will use stretch goals to donate to the Malcolm X Shabazz High School - Gerald Lawson Video Game & APP Development Academy in Newark, NJ - a program that Gifted has taught and led for over a decade. If the campaign surpasses the $15,000 mark, Gifted promises to distribute S.T.E.M. Classroom Kits to multiple schools in Newark’s district, for free.

We're trying to get students interested in S.T.E.M., and we use comic books as a vehicle.

Naseed Gifted, Writer, Educator, P.B.S. Media Founder

S.T.E.M., or Science, Technology, Engineering and Math programs, are often the lowest funded and the lowest graduated in urban areas. Gifted is working hard to change those statistics by traveling the country, speaking at schools, comic book conventions and after-school programs. His goal is to get young, marginalized students excited about science and the arts one comic book at a time.

Gifted is no stranger to successful crowdfunding. In 2016, he raised over $9,000 through his company P.B.S. Media, for the individual print run of P.B. Soldier. Four years later, the goal is even bigger as he is collecting all current issues into one volume and making it available to both the public and schools in digital, as well as print, formats. Funds will also go to compensating the series artist and colorist Abel Garcia (Bad Puppy/Image Comics) and for printing, marketing and distribution. 

The Story

P.B.Soldier is a science fiction adventure that follows covert operative Nat Cummings, a skilled computer hacker, who uses his skills to help pay for college tuition. When his activities are discovered, he's labeled a terrorist and put on a watch list. The government/paramilitary organization called The Establishment gives him a simple choice, either work with them to become a highly trained assassin or be terminated.  

Naseed Gifted

Naseed Gifted is the acting principal of Malcolm X Shabazz High School in Newark, NJ. He is dedicated to inspiring young people to be science and technology leaders and positively impact the community around them. A New Jersey Institute of Technology graduate, Gifted is also the founder of Newark’s Comic Book Festival “Khem Comic Fest.” He is also a two-time Glyph Comic Awards and Urban Action Showcase nominee, an engineer and writer, who regularly travels across the country speaking about diversity and using comics to teach S.T.E.M.

Kickstarter Link: http://bit.ly/pbsoldierkick

Hashtag: #pbsoldier

Source: P.B.S. Media