• Skip navigation and go to content
  • Go to navigation

Norman Rockwell Museum

  • Visit
    • Hours & Admission
    • Directions
    • Exhibitions
  • Learn
    • Programs
    • School Programs
    • Curriculum Lab
  • Research
    • Norman Rockwell Collection
    • Archives and Library
    • Rockwell Center for Americal Visual Studies
    • IllustrationHistory.org
    • Frank Schoonover Collection Raisonné
  • Donate
    • Make a Gift
    • Become a Member
  • Shop
  • Calendar
  • Contact
    • Staff Directory
    • Norman Rockwell Museum e-newsletter sign-up
    • Careers
    • What's my Rockwell Worth?
      FAQ

Illustration History

  • History
  • Artists
  • Genres
  • Essays
  • Resources
  • Podcast
  • History
    • Time Periods
  • Artists
  • Genres
  • Essays
  • Resources
  • Podcast
Home > Artists > M. Gayle Dickson

M. Gayle Dickson

Born: June 27, 1948

M. Gayle Dickson

Biography

M. Gayle Dickson, also known as Asali, is a dedicated, community-spirited graphic artist, teacher, and ordained minister. During her late teens and early twenties, she worked for the Black Panther Party, where she was the only female graphic artist for The Black Panther, the Party newspaper, between 1972 and 1974.[1][2]

Dickson was born in Berkeley, California. Her father, James Stowers, owned a dry cleaning business; her mother, Madeline Stowers, was a seamstress. When she was two years old, Dickson moved to Oakland with her mother and siblings after her parents divorced. From an early age, Dickson demonstrated an ability for drawing, a skill that was recognized and nurtured throughout her education.

After attending Oakland Public Schools and graduating from Fremont High School in 1966, Dickson studied painting at Oakland’s Laney Community College. In 1967, she transferred to Merritt College, also in Oakland, which was a hub for black student protest and was where Black Panther Party co-founders, Huey Newton and Bobby Seale, met. While there, she joined the Black Student Union, became familiar with African cultural heritage, and participated in protests against police brutality.[3]

Dickson used her artistic talents to the betterment of the communities in which she lived and, for a time, to further the goals of the Black Panther Party. She joined the Party in 1970 after marrying Melvin Dickson and moving to Seattle. She did some sign painting for the Sydney Miller Free Health Clinic while in Seattle and became involved in other community programs. In 1972, both Dickson and her husband moved back to Oakland to work at the Black Panther Party headquarters. She worked in the graphic arts department until 1976; her art focused on women and children, capitalism, and urban poverty. Consulting with artist, author, and Black Panther Minister of Culture Emory Douglas, Dickson incorporated political and social commentary into her images.

While in Oakland, Dickson also worked for the Oakland Community School, teaching art classes, designing letterhead, and performing other administrative duties. She left the Black Panther Party in 1976 and worked in various positions over the next ten years. In 1986, she earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Holy Names University in Oakland, and accepted an office clerk position with the City of Berkeley two years later. Called to the ministry, Dickson enrolled at San Francisco Theological Seminary where she graduated with a Master of Divinity in 1998. She served as pastor of the South Berkeley Community Church from 1998 to 2006, using her art and preaching skills for the betterment of her faith community. She did this while holding a full-time position as Assistant Administrator for the Sister Thea Bowman Manor, Percy Abram, Jr. Senior Apartments.

Dickson retired in 2016. She currently resides in Richmond, California where she continues to paint and teach and is a popular public speaker.[4]

 

Footnotes:

[1] Carrillo, Silvio. “The story behind the legendary Black Panther Party’s revolutionary newspaper art.” February 15, 2022. The website of ABC7news San Francisco. Accessed March 1, 2022. https://abc7news.com/black-panther-party-newspaper-huey-p-newton-emory-douglas/11255701/

[2] Cobbins-Modica, Quin’nita F. “Madeline Gayle ‘Asali’ Dickson (1948 -).” The website of Black Past. June 23, 2020. Accessed on March 5, 2022. https://www.blackpast.org/african-american-history/people-african-american-history/madeline-gayle-asali-dickson-1948/

[3] Ibid.

[4] Ibid.

 

This artist’s biography was written by Phyllis Geraghty, a writer with professional experience in the public relations, education, health, and non-profit sectors.

Illustrations by M. Gayle Dickson

Yes, I’m Against the War in Vietnam, I’m for African Liberation, Voter Registration, and the People’s Survival!M. Gayle Dicksonhttps://www.illustrationhistory.org/illustrations/yes-im-against-the-war-in-vietnam-im-for-african-liberation-voter-registration-and-the-peoples-survival
Anytown U.S.A.M. Gayle Dicksonhttps://www.illustrationhistory.org/illustrations/anytown-u.s.a
We Are Rising Up, Challenging the Oppressor, to Make Black People’s Political Power a Reality.M. Gayle Dicksonhttps://www.illustrationhistory.org/illustrations/we-are-rising-up-challenging-the-oppressor-to-make-black-peoples-political-power-a-reality
Survival, Survival, Survival!M. Gayle Dicksonhttps://www.illustrationhistory.org/illustrations/survival-survival-survival

Additional Resources

Bibliography

Bloom, Joshua and Waldo E. Martin. Black Against Empire: The History and Politics of the Black Panther Party. Berkeley: University of California Press, 2012.

Fujino, Diane C. and Matef Harmachis. Black Power Afterlives: The Enduring Significance of the Black Panther Party. Chicago: Haymarket Books, 2020.

Jones, Charles E. The Black Panther Party (Reconsidered). Baltimore, MD: Black Classic Press, 1998.

Musteata, Natalie, Allan Antliff, Adrian Blackwell, and Ernest Larsen. If I Can't Dance to It, It’s Not My Revolution. Haverford, PA: Cantor Fitzgerald Gallery, Haverford College, 2014.

Shih, Bryan and Yohuru R. Williams. The Black Panthers: Portraits from an Unfinished Revolution. New York: Nation Books, 2016.

Genres
  • Advertising
    • Corporate
    • Political and Public Service
    • Product
    • Self-Promotion
  • Books
    • Children’s Books
    • Cover Art
    • Interior Illustration
  • Cartooning
    • Advertising
    • Caricature
    • Political and Editorial
    • Sports
    • Spot
  • Comics
    • Comic Books
      • Manga
    • Comic Strips
  • Decorative & Applied Illustration
    • Info Graphics
    • Murals
    • Portraiture
  • Fantasy
    • Adventure
    • Fairy Tales and Fables
    • Mythology
  • Fashion
    • Advertising
    • Design
  • Graphic Novels
    • Fiction
    • Non-Fiction
    • Visual Memoir and Autobiography
  • Internet Illustration
    • Web Comics
    • Website Illustration
  • Magazine
    • Cover Art
    • Story Illustration
  • Moving Image
    • Animation
    • Concept Art
    • Storyboard
    • Video Game Design
  • Newspaper
  • Non-Commissioned Work
  • Poster
    • Event (Promotional)
    • Film
    • Political
    • Propaganda
    • Travel
  • Product Illustration
    • Album/CD
    • Calendars
    • DVD/VHS/Videogame
    • Greeting Cards
    • Packaging
    • Paper Dolls
    • Postage Stamps
  • Pulp Illustration
    • Pinup Art
    • Pulp Magazines
  • Science Fiction
    • Creatures
    • Outer Space
    • Technology
  • Technical
    • Anatomy
    • Archaeological
    • Architecture
    • Courtroom Drawings
    • Horticulture
    • Mechanical
    • Natural History
Global Perspectives
  • North America
  • Europe
  • Asia
RELATED ARTISTS
  • Louis Dalrymple Louis Dalrymple
  • Charles C. Dawson Charles C. Dawson
  • Aaron Douglas Aaron Douglas
  • Emory Douglas Emory Douglas
  • Malik Edwards Malik Edwards
  • Tom Feelings Tom Feelings
  • Akinsanya Kambon Akinsanya Kambon
  • Joan Tarika Lewis Joan Tarika Lewis
  • Ralph Moore Ralph Moore
  • Archibald Motley, Jr. Archibald Motley, Jr.
  • Thomas Nast Thomas Nast
  • Kadir Nelson Kadir Nelson
  • Faith Ringgold Faith Ringgold
  • Charles White Charles White
Related Time Periods
  • The Decade 1960-1970 The Decade 1960-1970
  • The Decade 1970-1980 The Decade 1970-1980
  • The Decade 1980-1990 The Decade 1980-1990
  • The Decade 1990-2000 The Decade 1990-2000
  • The Decade 2000-2010 The Decade 2000-2010
  • The Decade 2010-2020 The Decade 2010-2020

Support the Project

We need your help to keep this project alive and growing. How can you help?

Submit Work
Make A Donation
About The Project

Stay Informed

Join our mailing list to receive updates about this growing project.

Art Works. National Endowment for the Arts. arts.gov

This project is supported in part by an award
from the National Endowment for the Arts.

"The great band of illustrators have shown us to ourselves and I am proud to be among their company."
- Norman Rockwell

©Copyright 2020 Norman Rockwell Museum
9 Route 183, Stockbridge, MA 01262 | 413.298.4100
Privacy Policy | Terms and Conditions |
Equity & Justice Commitment