Week #8: Stereotypes and the Ethics of Representation

For this week's reading, we are to write about our impressions and understanding of March: Book One, by John Lewis, Andrew Aydin and Nate Powell.

This graphic novel is based on an account of a person of colour during the times when Dr Martin Luther King Jr preached about equality for all, the outlaw of segregation and various socially progressive events.

The style of the graphic novel reminds me of Blankets. The fluid and brush-like linework tell me the work is relatable because it's organic. It's also shaded with watered-down ink, which gives the drawing more definition. It reads like an expressive work that cares more about how the story is told than how perfect it should be.

The story talks about issues that are relevant today: such as racism, censorship and abuse of power. There may have been social progress back then, but there is still a lot of progress to be made. From all sides. There are many analogies drawn and written in this story that depicts the issues embedded in the culture of that time. For example: 

The people with privilege and power couldn't "tell those apart, and no one cared to". The only ones who could tell minorities apart were the ones who were involved with their communities. The authors use the chickens to explain segregation and how minorities feel in a nutshell.