Community

San Jose’s Tyler Gordon Commissioned for Time Magazine Cover

Published

3 years ago

December 17, 2020

Kiki

Tyler Gordon with his painting of the Central Park Five. The men were falsely accused of rape and assault in 1989. Black Enterprise photo.

A San Jose teenager was selected by Time magazine to paint the portrait of its Athlete of the Year, Lebron James.

Tyler Gordon, 14, an avowed L.A. Lakers and Golden State Warriors fan, believes James is one of the greatest players to ever play the game. “I am honored to be painting his portrait for TIME,” he said.

Gordon is the son of a painter and he got his start at the age of 10 when he dreamed of taking up the craft. His mother, Nicole Kindle, bought him a canvas and other supplies that week.

He proved he had talent when a portrait of his school principal won an art contest. Since then, he has painted more than 500 portraits of Black icons, including one of The Central Park Five, which sold for $100,000.

“Working hard makes you a contender but believing in yourself makes you a champion,” said Gordon about James, but the accolade could be said about Gordon himself for having navigated physical handicaps from early childhood.

For two years, he was in a wheelchair having suffered broken hip and leg bones because of a Vitamin D deficiency. He stutters because he was born deaf and underwent surgery at 5, which gave him some hearing.

He was bullied so badly in school, he was afraid to speak, said Kindle. Now, she can’t get him to shut up, she said of the teenager who is a wizard at making grilled cheese sandwiches, prefers online school so he can wear pajamas all day, gets in trouble for pranking people. He’s earned his mother’s displeasure recently by spilling pink paint on the carpet.

“Sometimes I can’t talk and get words out, so I speak through my art,” Gordon told Time magazine, which chose him as one of five Kids of the Year, the first time this category was set up.

According to Time, his big break came in 2018 when a portrait of basketball star Kevin Durant caught the eye of the player’s mother who bought it for $300. Commissions from other celebrities poured in, among them Janet Jackson, Alex Rodriguez, Kevin Hart, Jennifer Lopez and Janelle Monae.

Last month, he got a call from Vice President-elect Kamala Harris when a portrait he did of her went viral. He was thrilled to hear from her and called her ‘humble’ for taking the time to call him while she was at home making Thanksgiving corn bread for her family.

The media attention has meant he is also losing self-consciousness about his stutter. A corner of his living room is his ‘studio’ where he conducts online painting classes, titled “Tongue Tye’d,” a venue he hopes to inspire other kids to overcome their challenges using art as well.

Time Magazine and the SFGate were sources for this report.

Kiki

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Activism

Oakland Post: Week of April 24 – 30, 2024

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of April 24 – 30, 2024

Published

3 days ago

April 26, 2024

Oakland Post

To enlarge your view of this issue, use the slider, magnifying glass icon or full page icon in the lower right corner of the browser window.

Oakland Post

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Alameda County

DA Pamela Price Stands by Mom Who Lost Son to Gun Violence in Oakland

Last week, The Post published a photo showing Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price with Carol Jones, whose son, Patrick DeMarco Scott, was gunned down by an unknown assailant in 2018.

Published

6 days ago

April 22, 2024

Oakland Post

District Attorney Pamela Price with Carol Jones

Publisher’s note: Last week, The Post published a photo showing Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price with Carol Jones, whose son, Patrick DeMarco Scott, was gunned down by an unknown assailant in 2018. The photo was too small for readers to see where the women were and what they were doing. Here we show Price and Jones as they complete a walk in memory of Scott. For more information and to contribute, please contact Carol Jones at 510-978-5517 at morefoundation.help@gmail.com. Courtesy photo.

Oakland Post

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City Government

Vallejo Welcomes Interim City Manager Beverli Marshall

At Tuesday night’s Council meeting, the Vallejo City Council appointed Beverli Marshall as the interim city manager. Her tenure in the City Manager’s Office began today, Wednesday, April 10. Mayor Robert McConnell praised Marshall’s extensive background, noting her “wide breadth of experience in many areas that will assist the City and its citizens in understanding the complexity of the many issues that must be solved” in Vallejo.

Published

6 days ago

April 22, 2024

Oakland Post

Beverli Marshall began her first day with the City on April 10. ICMA image.

Special to The Post

At Tuesday night’s Council meeting, the Vallejo City Council appointed Beverli Marshall as the interim city manager. Her tenure in the City Manager’s Office began today, Wednesday, April 10.

Mayor Robert McConnell praised Marshall’s extensive background, noting her “wide breadth of experience in many areas that will assist the City and its citizens in understanding the complexity of the many issues that must be solved” in Vallejo.

Current City Manager Michael Malone, whose official departure is slated for April 18, expressed his well wishes. “I wish the City of Vallejo and Interim City Manager Marshall all the best in moving forward on the progress we’ve made to improve service to residents.” Malone expressed his hope that the staff and Council will work closely with ICM Marshall to “ensure success and prosperity for the City.”

According to the Vallejo Sun, Malone stepped into the role of interim city manager in 2021 and became permanent in 2022. Previously, Malone served as the city’s water director and decided to retire from city service e at the end of his contract which is April 18.

“I hope the excellent work of City staff will continue for years to come in Vallejo,” he said. “However, recent developments have led me to this decision to announce my retirement.”

When Malone was appointed, Vallejo was awash in scandals involving the housing division and the police department. A third of the city’s jobs went unfilled during most of his tenure, making for a rocky road for getting things done, the Vallejo Sun reported.

At last night’s council meeting, McConnell explained the selection process, highlighting the council’s confidence in achieving positive outcomes through a collaborative effort, and said this afternoon, “The Council is confident that by working closely together, positive results will be obtained.”

While the search for a permanent city manager is ongoing, an announcement is expected in the coming months.

On behalf of the City Council, Mayor McConnell extended gratitude to the staff, citizen groups, and recruitment firm.

“The Council wishes to thank the staff, the citizens’ group, and the recruitment firm for their diligent work and careful consideration for the selection of what is possibly the most important decision a Council can make on behalf of the betterment of our City,” McConnell said.

The Vallejo Sun contributed to this report.