The Association of American Editorial Cartoonists President Kevin Necessary has issued
an open letter to the Overseas Press Club of America with an excellent proposal.
I write to you today to advocate for a change to the cartoon category.
The current OCPA award is now virtually the only category not to be named after a legacy journalist. The AAEC acknowledges the reason why the previous name was dropped in 2018 and considers that a settled matter.
Four years ago the OPC dropped Thomas Nast from the name of its Cartoon Award after forty years. Since that time the cartooning award has been called “The Best Cartoon Award.”
The AAEC suggests a change is due and nominates a worthy candidate:
[W]e would like to encourage you and the OPCA Board to consider another historical figure, one who exemplified the best of both editorial cartooning and reporting in the field.
To that end, I would urge the Overseas Press Club to name the cartooning award after Bill Mauldin.
Mauldin exemplified the very best of what editorial cartooning — and journalism — can be. His work held a mirror to the injustices, challenges and politics of his time, told from the perspective of the common person. He provided a voice for those who may not have otherwise been heard.