On April 22, the Bulls hosted a fireside chat at Semicolon Bookstore & Gallery with Lymari Media and Bulls Legend Luol Deng, celebrating the launch of the graphic novel Queen Amani Renas: Protector of Nubia with students from Chicago Bulls College Prep and Urban Prep Academies.
At the event, Christian and Liz Jones who founded Lymari Media – a collective of Black storytellers, entertainment professionals and scholars whose goal is to make African history exciting for all and who created and published the graphic novel – discussed the importance of telling African stories in a positive and affirmative light.
Challenging the idea that Black history begins with the transatlantic slave trade, the novel tells the story of Queen Amani Renas – the queen of Nubia between 40-10BC who is most known for leading Kushite armies in a five-year war against the Romans. The novel will be the first of a series, detailing the untold stories of one of the greatest leaders of ancient Africa.
Luol Deng, who spent 10 years playing for the Bulls, spoke about his work uplifting communities in Africa through the Luol Deng Foundation, a non-profit that empowers youth in South Sudan through sport, education and health and wellness.
Semicolon Bookstore & Gallery, where the event took place, is one of the Bulls' community partners through the BMO Black Owned Business Initiative, which uses the Bulls platform to highlight one Chicago Black owned businesses per month.