Black History Month: African Americans and the Comic Arts
Black History Month has it’s origins in scholar and activist Carter G. Woodson’s Negro History Week. Beginning with Woodson’s Negro History Week and expanded into Black History Month, these annual observances have always centered on a theme. This year’s Black History Month theme – “African Americans and the Arts” – focuses on the countless contributions people of the African diaspora have made to the fields of visual and performing arts, literature, fashion, folklore, language, film, music, architecture, culinary and other forms of cultural expression.
Black creators have been instrumental in developing the comics art form from the very beginning. Prolific cartoonist and illustrator Elmer Simms Campbell (1906-1971), who signed his work E. Simms Campbell, was the first Black cartoonist to receive national publication in magazines beginning as early as 1929. In addition to his numerous comics, Campbell also created Esky, the iconic mascot of Esquire magazine. In 2020, Campbell was inducted into the prestigious Eisner Award Hall of Fame. Other early cartoonists include Jay Jackson (1905-1954), known for his science fiction comics and his direction of the editorial comics in the Chicago Defender, and Mel Tapley (1918-2005), an editorial cartoonist and early president of the NAACP.
E. Simms Campbell
Published in June 1947, All-Negro Comics is the first known comic book written and drawn solely by Black writers and artists. The 48-page anthology comic was published by Philadelphia newspaper reporter Orrin C. Evans. Morrie Turner who debuted his comic Wee Pals in 1965 would become the first nationally syndicated Black cartoonist.
Contemporary comics created by Black cartoonists reflect the diversity of talent as well as the multifaceted dimensions of Black identity. For example, “Finding Your Roots,” a comic by Whit Taylor published by The Nib, centers on Taylor’s experience transitioning from chemically straightened hair to embracing her hair’s natural texture while also tracing the history and complicated politics of black women’s hair.
Black comics creators have also produced works that center on the importance of Black contribution to culture. Written by Congressman John Lewis and Andrew Aydin and drawn by Nate Powell, the March trilogy centers on the Civil Rights Movement. March won countless awards. Other historical comics include Across the Tracks: Remembering Greenwood, Black Wall Street, and the Tulsa Race Massacre (2021), written by SP Comics own Alverne Ball, which examines the years of progress that were destroyed in such a short time in the wake of racial violence. Jackie Ormes Draws the Future (2023) created by Liz Montague, chronicles the life of Jackie Ormes, one of the first Black cartoonists to have her work published in The New Yorker.
Black cartoonists have long contributed to the comic arts and this post represents just a small sampling of these contributions. While their work has and continues to face challenges due to oppression and marginalization, greater attention is being given to creators both past and present. We have only just scratched the surface.
Further Reading:
Black Comics: Politics of Race and Representation, Sheena Howard (2013)
It's Life as I See It: Black Cartoonists in Chicago 1940–1980, Dan Nadel, ed. (2021)
Jackie Ormes: the first African American Woman Cartoonist, Nancy Goldstein (2008)
Pioneering Cartoonists of Color, Tim Jackson (2016)
