In 1968, a new comic strip began appearing in newspapers across the United States, breaking the color barrier on the pages of the Funnies.

"Luther" - the first nationally syndicated strip about inner-city African-American children - was the brainchild of the late Brumsic Brandon Jr.

His daughter, Barbara Brandon-Croft, remembers watching her father create the groundbreaking comic strip in their home on Rushmore Street in New Cassel.

At 10 years old, she began helping her dad with his illustrations in exchange for an allowance.

An editorial cartoonist for several years, Brumsic decided to develop a daily comic strip that focused on the lives of African-American children and their struggle for racial equality.

He named his title character, a wide-eyed third-grader, after civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Through the strip, Brumsic provided a touching, funny, and often biting commentary on the perils of growing up black in America.

Drawing on his own experiences, the comic strip brought to light the indignities of racial discrimination, and the value of social justice.

As a pioneer in the comic strip business, Brumsic paved the way for future African-American cartoonists. One of them was his own daughter, Barbara, who became the first African-American female to create a nationally syndicated comic strip in 1989.

She and her late father are believed to represent the only father-daughter newspaper cartoonists in U.S. history.