African-American/Black Experiences and Anti-Racism in Graphic Medicine

Posted by Sarah Levin-Lederer on June 23rd, 2020 Posted in: Blog, Graphic Medicine
Tags: graphic medicine, health disparities, health equity

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In light of recent events including police brutality and ensuing protests, the staff at NNLM NER stand with the Black and African American community. My colleagues in other NNLM regions curated lists highlighting Black/African-American Health and Anti-Racist resources:

• Pacific Southwest Region with links to African American mental health, anti-racist reading materials, cultural competency, NLM African American and race history, racism in science, and PubMed Central articles about police brutality and African American health.
• Middle Atlantic Region with links to resources related to mental health, funded projects, cultural competency, racism in science and more.
• Greater Midwest Region with links to resources related to mental health, anti-racist reading, NLM African American and race history and more.

In the interest of sharing different resources and with NER’s special initiative focused on graphic medicine, I felt it was important to share graphic medicine by and about Black/African-American health, as well as anti-racist graphic medicine resources.

Graphic Medicine is comic books and graphic novels that cover topics of health and wellness.  The visual format makes the information easier to understand and digest.  By reading a personal, non-fiction story, we can learn about issues we may not have experienced ourselves.  These stories can also help us feel less alone in our own lives.

From traditionally published graphic novels to webcomics and self-published works, below are some examples of graphic medicine works and resources that address Black/African-American health and race or racism.

Whit Taylor is a cartoonist and public health professional who has graphic medicine works that often include historical and scientific context for public health and healthcare concepts.

• What is Race breaks down the concept of race historically, scientifically, socially and anthropologically to help readers better understand and discuss what people mean when they discuss race and racism.
• African-Americans Are More Likely to Distrust the Medical System. Blame the Tuskegee Experiment with Chris Kindred.
• Black Mothers Face Far Worse Health Outcomes. How Do We Fix It? using statistics, the story of Serena Williams’s pregnancy and experience with complications after delivery and her own apprehensions, Taylor discusses the issue of high rates of maternal mortality among Black mothers and what could be done about it.

Using statistics, historical records and stakeholder interviews, We Are Wynadotte (Kansas City, KS) created two comics on redlining and how the practice continues to affect the health of their community.

The Black Caucus of the American Library Association (BCALA) and the Graphic Novel Round Table curated a reading list of graphic novels that highlight Black experiences.  Here are three examples of graphic medicine works on the list:

• For Kids-New Kid by Jerry Craft tells the story of Jordan Banks as he works to navigate the culture of his new private school, helping kids understand the feelings of being torn between two worlds and not feeling like you fit into either.
• For Teens-Drowned City: Hurricane Katrina and New Orleans by Don Brown From the publisher, “The riveting tale of this historic storm and the drowning of an American city is one of selflessness, heroism, and courage—and also of incompetence, racism, and criminality.” Drowned City is the featured title for the Emergency Preparedness and Recovery Graphic Medicine Book Club Kit available from NNLM NER.
• For Adults-From Truth with Truth by Lawrence Lindell is “Kinda A Graphic Memoir” that chronicles the author’s life growing-up, love of comics, and his experience with bipolar disorder and PTSD.

Looking to make your graphic medicine collections and programming more inclusive? My PSR colleagues hosted a webinar on Inclusive Graphic Medicine in August, 2019.