It’s Time to Amplify Our Voices, Not Black Them Out

First of all, I want to say: Justice for George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, Tony McDade, Nina Pop, and David McAtee. These are just the most recent names in a long line of individuals who have lost their lives to systemic racism. They will not be forgotten. This has been a really rough year. And the last few weeks have brought it well past the tipping point, and it’s been increasingly hard to find inspiration. When I sat down to write this article, I wasn’t sure what to do. It didn’t feel right to write something that didn’t address what was going on. This is a time for action. And that can be done in a lot of different ways. Something I’ve seen a lot on Twitter the past week are threads from and about Black creators and their work in an effort to bring light to them and support them during this time. So instead of posting a black box on Instagram, let’s amplify some Black creatives and the stories that they give us. This is a short list of creators I actively follow.  James F. Wright James is one of the kindest people I’ve met in my short time navigating the world of comics. He’s genuine, nice, and a damn good writer. He and Josh Eckert created a one-shot called Contact High that to this day remains my favorite one-shot of all time. It’s a constant well of inspiration for me. It was also nominated for an Eisner so that should tell you how good it is. 

Contact High is eerily relevant right now. It’s about people’s rights being taken away in a world where it is ille…