History Comics and comics in education

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Hispanic Heritage Month is Sept 15 - Oct 15 and is a great time to introduce these graphic novels in your classroom. However - these choices are great year-round and this culture, and the amazing history, should not be regulated to just one month. We need to increase representation in our classroom and school libraries so we can all see ourselves in our literature.

I always open class our discussion with a powerful video of interviews from the NY Times, A Conversation With Latinos on Race- https://youtu.be/tLLCHbCgJb

La Voz de M.A.Y.O.: Tata Rambo. Henry Barajas. 2019. This is a graphic memoir based on the life of Barajas’ great-grandfather, Ramon Jaurigue. Students need to be shown the wider Civil Rights movement and this comic must be included in this education. This book is parts Native-American, LatinX, Arizona history, civil rights, journalism, and historiography. This is an inspiring way to show students how to make history come alive by researching a personal topic or passion - to interview, research, and to be willing to ask questions. I use this in my classroom as we read the March Graphic trilogy, based on Congressman John Lewis’ life and actions. I have put together a teacher guide to help facilitate using this accessible and powerful comic in the classroom - https://docs.google.com/document/d/1eIqnPLVpBat4s5yNWsfVmUkqQV_QoefNNhVLogZbTO4/edit?usp=sharing . Just a quick look at the vocabulary and people in this teacher guide will speak to the power of this comic. Barajas has made History personal and relatable - he shows us history and the importance of looking beyond the textbook and the few names most school children know.

Rendez-Vous in Phoenix. Tony Sandoval. 2014. This true story will engage high school readers about immigration in ways that other mediums simply cannot. The illustrations give a sense of scale, loneliness, devastation, fear, hope, and love. Tony is a young man just trying to get to his girlfriend in the US and to achieve his dream of becoming a comics creator. When reading about immigration, it’s often challenging to get students to relate to what is going on, to understand that these are real people with similar dreams. That this story focuses on one person in a love story, makes it relatable and powerful to teen readers. No - immigrants do not just come from Mexico. No - these are not awful crime prone nameless dregs. Why would people go through all of this danger just to get into the US? What is the American Dream? Is it true? Accessible for all? These are just some of the ideas discussed when reading this with teens. There are a few curse words, including the “f” word - this is the only reason why I would not suggest younger than high school.

Cuba: My Revolution. Inverna Lockpez and Dean Haspiel w/Jose Villarrubia and Pat Brosseau. 2010. This book is for mature readers - sexual images, language, and violence. This harrowing account by Lockpez, paired with stunningly haunting illustrations by Haspiel, have me understanding a complex Cuban Revolution on an emotional and personal level. Even the coloring by Villarrubia is impactful - as the color red becomes an integral character in the story. Combined with the lettering by Brosseau and we see a powerful book that takes full advantage of the comics medium. We need to understand the micro stories of history and not just the big picture with larger than life leaders. We need to know that events, large and small, are complicated and not guaranteed to turn out in an particular way. I thank Lockpez for sharing her experiences in what can only be described as honest and brave - for giving me a window into events I have never contemplated before. The warnings of ideology and blind beliefs are strong reminders to us all to not idol worship, but to take into account many different facets of leaders and the unfurling of complex events. My soul was impacted as I read this book, often having to pause and reflect, to feel and wonder. This is a powerful story.

Darkroom - Lila Quintero Weaver. A fascinating memoir showing the importance of art and images - allowing us to see truth, yet also entrenching white supremacy. Civil rights and immigration. Where does a young Hispanic girl from Argentina belong in the social hierarchy? Stunningly illustrated. Haunting. I’ll be putting out next to the March Trilogy in my classroom.

Ghetto Brother: Warrior to Peacemaker. Julian Voloj and Claudia Ahlering. 2015. Music is history. Hip Hop is history and we annotate it often in my classroom and meaningful societal artifact. This book brings together a piece of history that combines Hip Hop, history, and braking stereotypes. Much like contemporary books/histories are giving the Black Panthers a much needed second look for the vast amount of good they did, this book does the same for a “gang” in New York. So much vital history and much that can be applied to social/racial issues today. (Some adult language).

Voces Sin Fronteras: Our Voices Our Truth. True Comics from the Latin American Youth Center. Bilingual. Shout Mouse Press. 9781945434662

This is an amazingly powerful resource for the classroom as it is bilingual and a primary source. The stories are told side-by-side in English and Spanish with identical images and content. This book was created through the efforts of students who wanted to share their truth and to help change the narrative about immigration and Latino Culture. These emotional and honest stories can help other immigrants feel alone in these highly political times and also serve as an amazing educational tool for all of us. Students will immediately feel connected as these stories are written by their peers. Each page of artwork is different than the rest and impact the reader on various levels. Many of these artists draw in a “simple” and accessible way that just adds to the emotional impact of their stories.

Latino U.S.A. : a Cartoon History. Ilan Stavans and Lalo Alcaraz. Basic Books. 9780465082506

I read this book during the summer of 2018 and was absolutely blow away by the history that I did not know as a History teacher. There is a lot of culture and history given to the reader in just one book. The artwork immediately grabs the attention of the reader as there is so much happening on each page. This is a great tool to use for teaching close reading! The story of Mexico and its relationship with the USA is complicated and multi-layered. Stavans writes not only about the historical events and people, but also of the pop culture of both places and their interaction and impact on each other. This year, I will assign a different story to different groups of students and have them read and then report out to the class.

Los Tejanos. Jack Jackson. A powerfully illustrated and researched book on an overlooked part of US History.

Puerto Rico Strong. Editors: Marco Lopez, Desiree Rodriguez, Hazel Newlevant, Derek Ruiz, and Neil Schwartz. Lion Forge. Anthology. 9781941302903

This anthology of history and culture was put together after the impact of Hurricane Maria - the impact of which is still very much being felt. All sales of this book go to help the rebuilding efforts in Puerto Rico. I learned so much about the cultural depth of Puerto Rico and its history through the many stories in this book. There are many short, accessible, and beautifully drawn topics on history, culture, religion, struggle, and strength throughout. I will be using many of these stories in my classroom this year - it will be powerful to give each student, or pair of students, a different excerpt to read and to then explain to the class.

La Borinquena - Edgardo Miranda-Rodriguez, 2016. Absolutely stunning. Filled with culture and vital history, perfect for the classroom. Marisol is a true hero in that she focuses on how she can help fight real problems - environmental, scientific, cultural - even as she herself needs to overcome asthma. She is a relatable teen hero in much the way that Peter Parker, Kamala Khan, Miles Morales are to modern readers. That Miranda-Rodriguez can also seamlessly weave in her Puerto Rican ancestry, language, and culture make this book all the more powerful.

Ricanstruction: Reminiscing and Rebuilding Puerto Rico. Edgardo Miranda-Rodriguez. Somos. 9780692092217

The main hero of this story is La Borinquena - who happens to be an Afro-Latino woman powered by, and concerned with the environment. DC was awesome enough to give permission for the author to also use many of their heroes in this story - Wonder Woman, Superman, Flash, and others. This alone is enough to have students want to grab the book and read it when displayed in a classroom library. The artwork is absolutely stunning and worthy of being made into inspirational posters. This anthology has a line-up of incredible authors from the comics industry - Gail Simone, Frank Miller, to just name two. There are also many Latinx celebrities as well - Rosario Dawson and Ruben Blades being two examples. All proceeds from the sale of this book go to help those in Puerto Rico.

21: The Story of Roberto Clemente. Wilfred Santiago. 2011. The illustrations by Santiago add so much movement and nuance to the story - love! A complete biography, from childhood, career, and death. There is so much history and struggle that are going on as Clemente achieves his fame and these topics are not ignored in this book. Santiago does not allow these racially charged struggles dominate the book, but interweaves them as they are a important part of this story. Wonderful book for the classroom that will have a wide appeal.

LatinX Superheroes - Frederick Luis Aldama. 2017. Wow! An entire course in comics culture that will inspire you to buy many books that may not already be in your collection. Wonderfully annotated and full of so much meaningful comics history. Highly recommend this prose book with many colorful images throughout.

Graphic Borders. Latino Comic Books Past, Present, and Future. Edited by Frederick Luis Aldama and Christopher Gonzalez. University of Texas Press. 9781477309155

This is a prose book of collected essays focusing on Latino artists and writers. The essays are diverse in content and also discuss the impact of Latino culture on mainstream comics/pop culture in the USA as well.

Tales From La Vida: a LatinX Comics Anthology. Ed. Frederick Luis Aldama. 2018. Identity. There are so many inspiring artists and writers in this anthology and all, in their way, tackle the idea of identity. There are as many takes on this topic as there are people who are involved in this collection. Even the types of media are mixed and make the different modes of art accessible to our students. In some sense, this is a book about artistic style, history, culture, individuality, and being seen. Of course, this identity focuses on being LatinX and makes this culture more accessible. However, LatinX folx are certainly not a monolith and there are many individuals within this classification, as this anthology wonderfully illustrates. There are some situations/language that make this more appropriate for high school students and older.

Miss America (America Chavez). Marvel Comics.

The self titled comic, written by Latin-American LGBTQ novelist Gabby Rivera, is no longer being published, but the collected trade is widely available. America is a vital ongoing part of the new comic and TV show - Marvel Rising. America is an openly gay Latino character and is wonderfully powerful!

You Say Latino. Terry Blas. This comic is available for free online - https://www.vox.com/2015/8/19/9173457/hispanic-latino-comic

I have used this comic in my classroom to great effect - what is the difference between Latino and Hispanic? It is an honest and open discussion about culture and geography.

Che: a Graphic Biography. Spain Rodriguez. 2008. I Love how this comic opens - images of Che can be seen everywhere, but who really was Che? A wide-reaching biography that begins with a young man just trying to find his identity and belief system, who will become a major part of history. There are some situations that would not be appropriate for younger readers - I’d suggest high school and above.

Green Lanterns. DC Comics. These two new Lanterns are part of an excellent ongoing story arc. Simon Baz is African-American and Jessica Cruz is Mexican-American Latino. The following link is an excellent resource that discusses the background of each character - https://www.cbr.com/green-lanterns-core-who-are-simon-baz-and-jessica-cruz/. Jessica suffers from anxiety and often does not have enough willpower to activate her ring. As educators, we are seeing more and more students with high anxiety and I find Cruz to be a wonderful teaching tool when trying to inspire these students to overcome their own hurdles. New comics in this line can be purchased every month, or you can also buy the collected trades.

The Poet X. Loved reading this book in our Project Lit Book Club. The format of writing in verse really forces the reader to slow down and sit in the moment, to reflect in a meaningful way.

I am not you Perfect American Daughter. Another powerful read for our Project Lit Book Club.

http://www.latinamericanliteraturetoday.org/en/2018/may/brief-commentary-latin-american-graphic-narrative-radmila-stefkova?fbclid=IwAR0EFpEl_8Phh8uIPjDInWNk18hkCEydJ_SkgeYg1mmy5nGZVjCyh1ZpGFM