Black Comics Collective Summer Sessions
Engaging with graphic texts is an exercise that draws from critical literacies, visual literacy, and literary analysis. Participants were given the opportunity to do both surface and deep-dive reads of a comic book of their choosing. Drawing upon the collection's diverse representation of comics written and illustrated by creators of color, we discussed how these... Continue Reading →
"The experience of creating comic autobiographies was a major teachable moment for me. I think about how the art making, storytelling, and self-reflection of the activity opened up my participants in deep and profound ways. I think about how opening the session with the animated video of the comic Your Black Friend by Ben Passmore... Continue Reading →
Participants were asked to post their comics on a wall for the group to view "gallery style". We took our time and read each comic then I invited the creators to share a little about their pieces and their experience making them. What unfolded was the most amazing and unanticipated storytelling session. The creators were... Continue Reading →
I wanted to share in the experience of my participants by facing the fears of my artistic ability while at the same time enjoying the opportunity to play. I remember the first questionS I asked myself were: WHO AM I, TODAY? WHO HAVE I BEEN LATELY? WHAT IS MY STORY? All of these questions were... Continue Reading →
It is common practice at the beginning of professional development sessions for facilitators to ask participants to go around the table and introduce themselves. I decided not to do that at the top of our session, but instead to engage participants with the visual storytelling of comics as a means of introduction. I asked them... Continue Reading →
I wanted to bring comic enthusiasts and novices together with a common language of comics. One of the best sources for comics workshop materials online is courtesy of the artist and educator Marek Bennett. He has created a ton of downloadable pdfs using comics to teach comics and you can find one about the basic... Continue Reading →
When I first read YOUR BLACK FRIEND by Ben Passmore...I saw myself. The experience of the protagonist mirrored many of my own experiences navigating the worlds of whitenes and blackness. It named the particular nuances of walking the border between these two worlds. It also featured the interior monologue of a black person's perspective on... Continue Reading →
Participants were introduced to why I choose to work with comics as tools for creative and critical conversations about race, identity, and social justice. I shared the inspiration for this inquiry - the $5 comic book YOUR BLACK FRIEND by Ben Passmore. Your Black Friend by Ben Passmore
Picturing Identity 