Jerry Craft is an American cartoonist and illustrator.
Born in Harlem, New York, Craft grew up in Washington Heights. He attended the Ethical Culture Fieldston School, a private independent school in the Bronx. Craft's experience as one of the few Black students at the mostly white and wealthy preparatory school inspired his Newbery Medal–winning graphic novel, New Kid.
After earning a BFA in Media Arts at the School of Visual Arts, Craft worked as a copywriter. His Mama's Boyz syndicated comic strip began in the 1990s and has been featured in Chicken Soup for the African American Soul. The American Diabetes Association has twice honored Craft with the Outstanding Supporter Award.
Class Act is Jerry Craft’s 2020 sequel (though described by the author as a “companion piece”) to his multi-award-winning graphic New Kid published to universal acclaim the year before. While New Kid focused on the experiences of Jordan Banks as a...
Jerry Craft's New Kid is a graphic novel about a Black seventh grader who struggles to adjust to the upscale, mostly white private school in which his mother has enrolled him. New Kid made headlines in 2021 when a Texas school district pulled the...
