Did you Know Barbara Brandon is the only Female African American syndicated cartoonist?

New York native Barbara Brandon knows where she's coming from. As the country's only black female cartoonist to be nationally syndicated, Brandon is blazing the trail for a greater awareness of the mindset of black women and men - their beliefs, hopes, fears and everyday struggles - in her weekly strip, WHERE I'M COMING FROM, which began running in the lifestyle pages of the Detroit Free Press in June 1989.

WHERE I'M COMING FROM, now nationally distributed by Universal Press Syndicate, is made up of "the girls," fictional characters based on Brandon and her friends. There are about a dozen women, ranging from the issues-conscious Lekesia to the self-absorbed, man-obsessed Nicole. Once a week, WHERE I'M COMING FROM explores life and relationships through the experiences of Alisha, Nicole, Cheryl and the rest. Get to know them.

Brandon is an alumna of Syracuse University's College of Visual and Performing Arts. She has previously worked as a fashion and beauty writer for Essence magazine. Her illustrations have appeared in Essence, The Village Voice, The Crisis and MCA Records.