Your Black Friend

by Ben Passmore

Ben Passmore's necessary contribution to the dialogue around race in the United States, Your Black Friend is a letter from your black friend to you about race, racism, friendship and alienation.

On the heels of viral online success with 500,000+ views, the revised print edition of the Your Black Friend comic is in gorgeous full color on fancy matte paper stock.

Inspired by Frantz Fanon's White Skin, Black Masks, Your Black Friend is just as direct, immediate, and necessary as Ta-Nehisi Coates' Between the World and Me and Claudia Rankine's Citizen.

Known for his politically charged science fiction comics, enthusiastic fans of Passmore's work include Brandon Graham (Island, Image Comics), Carolyn Nowak (Lumberjanes) and Josh Simmons (Fantagraphics).

Genres: Graphic Novels, Comics, Nonfiction, Race, Graphic Novels Comics, Social Justice, Essays

16 pages, Paperback

First published December 1, 2016

About the author

Ben lives in Philly. His comics are about crime, monsters, anarchism, sexual dysfunction, police brutality, art theory, and his feels. Author of DAYGLOAYHOLE, Goodbye, and Your Black Friend.

Reviews

[Dave Schaafsma · Rating 4 out of 5]

A dense eleven page comic that has been getting a lot of attention in the last year. Passmore has white friends and black friends and they both appreciate and criticize him for making connections with white friends. He has issues with his white and black friends, though most of this letter is about unanswerable questions and contradictions he discovers in himself and others.

The opening anecdote has a white woman in a coffee shop telling the barista about a “sketchy” black guy carrying a bike, insinuating it is stolen, which the barista clarifies is actually his. Will the barista confront the woman? No, (afraid of conflict). Will a white girl ‘s black friend confront her? No (afraid he will appear like “the angry black man”). And lots of examples such as this that asks more issues than answers. The black friend thinks all these things but doesn’t know how to say them.

Short animated film that takes the script and makes it into a kind of spoken word/poetry slam event, initially, and then a conversation:

https://www.comiccrusaders.com/hit-in...

An interview with ben passmore:

https://www.newsarama.com/33477-an-op...

[Monica · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked up this book as a part of the Read Harder 2018 challenge. The task:  A comic written and illustrated by the same person.

It's an interesting premise. A millennial black male wandering around in the wilderness of white privilege both recognized and unconscious. He allows the readers to look through his eyes about how the world treats him. The artwork is extreme and makes a salient point. The African American's are very dark, almost black and heavily shadowed and pronounced lips. The white people are all the exact same complexion, have extremely sharp noses and no lips, nor do they have any shadows. I thought it was very clever commentary. Conformity and norms vs "other".

It's actually a pretty simple story. A young black man is sitting in a coffee shop with a young white woman consuming a sandwich that he did not buy from the coffee shop. He starts looking around and hears a conversation highlighting white privilege between an older rich white lady and the barista. There is a commentary running through his head as he listens:

this is an important moment, your black friend has seen many times: a white person, unaware of thier racism, blunders into a moment in which it is undeniable [sic] It will take a barista, seemingly race savy and familiar to the rich lady, to clarify what has just happened. But your black friend know the barista will say nothing. What white ppl fear most is "making things awkward"

He thinks about how white friends view him vs other black males. He ponders about cultural appropriation and how oblivious white people seem to be about it and what it says to their black friends He notes how it sometimes feels like they are trying to out "black" him. He thinks about how his stylish appearance is perceived by his white friends (who want to touch his hair, skin and lips) and his black friends that think his hair is messy and he dresses like he wants to be white. He talks about how living in two worlds can feel like he belongs in neither. The book ends with his white friend going off on someone in the coffee shop over passive racism and his wishing his well meaning friend understood that even her ability to overtly assert her anger over that issue is a form of privilege. It ends with the barista admonishing him for eating a sandwich he didn't purchase in the coffee shop.

Overall this was a very brief, potent, clever commentary on white privilege with a pretty observant idea on how African Americans view each other. I really enjoyed this youthful look at race in our current culture. It is humorous, satirical and very short.

4+ Stars

Read the dead tree paperback.

[Matthew Noe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great example of how comics can convey difficult topics more fluidly than text usually can.

[Kirsten · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a superb, brief comic book that addresses what "your black friend" would like you, the reader, to know about his or her life. It's beautifully done and I loved it.

[Theresa · Rating 5 out of 5]

This should honestly be required reading in middle school or high school; get 'em while they're young. Very well done.

[Raina · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is so good. Specific. Important. Illuminating.
Full color, we have a copy in our Zine Collection at the library.
Especially appreciate the mention of linguistic "black-face"/"black voice."
Doesn't take long to read. Pick this up.

[sarah semark · Rating 4 out of 5]

Please make all your white friends read this.

[Bonnie Morse · Rating 5 out of 5]

I didn't pay attention to the length of this book when I ordered it and was surprised, and a little bit disappointed, when it arrived and I saw how tiny it was. But after reading it, it seemed the perfect length. These 16 pages are packed with facts and feelings and truths that white people ought to be paying attention to, while telling a story that ended with a predictable surprise that made me laugh even as I shook my head and kinda wanted to cry.

[Ame · Rating 5 out of 5]

An open letter to you from "your black friend". This comic is rather eye opening and helpful, and it's only 12 pages! Learn from "your black friend". Your friend doesn't want to be your black culture dictionary. He doesn't want to have to monitor how he dresses and speaks so he can maintain his status as "the black friend" versus "the black guy".

"Your white friends recommend a lot of black authors to your black friend and he's starting to feel like they're trying to 'out black' him."

[Glenda · Rating 4 out of 5]

This short graphic epistle opens a dialogue between black people and white people. It's themes echo those of MLK's "A Letter from Birmingham Jail" in its comments to white liberals such as myself.

The back cover describes the text as "an open letter...about race, racism, friendship, and alienation."

I recommend teachers snag a copy for their classrooms. I see this little gem as a good staring point for many conversations among friends.

[Jessie Drew · Rating 5 out of 5]

Everyone needs to read this 11 page book right now. I read it twice in a row just to make sure I drilled the points into my brain. Please order a copy of this book. It’s direct with the reader but shows compassion to the state of our world, too. A rare combination of characteristics especially when concerning racial issues. Again, I say, please get yourself a copy of this 11 page well written and excellently illustrated graphic novel.

[Nicky · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is beautiful and powerful, especially for how short it is. I'm considering adapting it for my class that discusses race issues in the US. I think it'd be interesting to put u to conversation with the Match trilogy.

[Maia · Rating 5 out of 5]

An Eisner nominated short comic about race which should have won the award. Unflinching and timely.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

OK, not the easiest book for a white person to read, but a good one, just the same.

Your Black Friend is a short comic, not more than eleven pages, but filled with the thoughts of racism and having white people want to be taught about being black.

Although I am not black, I run into this with some people who want to know about lesbianism and Wiccan. As though I was an exhibit at the museam, and that I know how every lesbian is, and what all wiccans do.

This is that book, but for white people from a black person. Well written, short, and pointed. We are sometimes so clueless. We do not have a friend so we can educate them about ourselves. We do not have to prove that we are who we are, and there is racism.

Go out and buy this. Go out and read this, and see if you get a little bit more about what "Your black friend" goes through every day.

[Ryan Mishap · Rating 3 out of 5]

While this certainly isn't my favored art style, the stories and writing are solid. THe title story and the one about the Confederate monuments were highlights for me, but every piece has something to offer.

[Davina · Rating 5 out of 5]

A short but powerful reminder for white people to use our privilege whenever possible to dismantle systems of racism and ignorance, be a better friend and human being.

[Carrie · Rating 5 out of 5]

11 pages of gold.

“Your black friend would like to forget that he is your black friend”

“Your black friend would like to forget how you use him like an information desk for black people”

“Your black friend would like to forget about what you’re like at the club”

[Ben]

This book costs $5, is 11 pages long, and should be read by lots of people.

[AJ · Rating 5 out of 5]

wow.

[Lucia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've seen a lot of Ben Passmore's work on The Nib, and I love what he does. This book is beautifully illustrated and contains an important message that I think anyone can appreciate. A new collection with this story included is coming out soon, which I didn't learn until reading this book, but I'm excited for it!

[Vince · Rating 5 out of 5]

A short, yet powerful comic about being black in America and how white individuals wish to take on black vernacular and mannerisms without realizing how offensive it is and just how hard it is to be black in America. Written in the form of a letter and taking maybe 15 minutes to read but powerful and won't leave your mind.

An absolute must read.

[Art · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book specifically because I am an old, white guy. I need to see the world through other eyes than my own. I wish to hell more people felt this way.

[Karl · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful, powerful, and poignant. Probably my favourite comic of 2017 and in my opinion it should have won the Eisner.

[Chrystal · Rating 4 out of 5]

This comic highlights a lot of issues that the black community has been dealing with for many years. The ending struck me as a very real visual representation of what happens when black people attempt to speak up about the black experience - they are silenced as other topics are brought up as retorts.

[Emily✨ · Rating 5 out of 5]

What white ppl [sic] fear most is "making things awkward."

Short but powerful comic depicting the daily struggles of "your black friend." It made me confront some of my own complicity in racist interactions, and think about how to be a better ally by using my white privilege.

[Tara Schaafsma · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really liked this short graphic novel. I thought the questions it answered were really relevant. I actually talked to my friend J about 2 of them, and while his answers differed a little from the ones in this book, I liked this perspective also.

[Carol Tilley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Provocative and necessary.

[Byron Adams · Rating 5 out of 5]

An extremely accurate depiction of being black in alternative communities dominated by [straight] white people. (I know from experience).

[Richard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Please take the time to read this twelve page YA graphic novel. (You can also see the video at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iHvxX...). It only takes a few minutes to read but it contains a lifetime of experience.

I'm white, I'm male, I now qualify for senior prices and I live in a rural Connecticut town. I will never know what it is like to live as a black man in the United States. I can read about it. I can talk about it. I can ramp up my sensitivity about it but my White Privilege acts like sunglasses obscuring my vision.

Fortunately there is this great writer named Ben Passmore. He put together this graphic novel (did both the writing and the drawing) to convey some of his thoughts and feelings about the world he lives in. Ben tells us how he has to check himself, has to think twice before speaking or acting, has to be vigilant and diligent about how his presents himself when he hangs around with his white friends. And he holds up a great mirror so that we can see a bit about how we look to him.

Read this book, think about what Passmore has to tell you, and remember it. I don't think you will find a shorter and clearer instruction manual about how to be a good companion to your black friend.

[Josephus FromPlacitas]

I had some ambiguous feelings about this beautiful book, particularly after being pretty convinced by RL Stephens' critiques of Ta-Nehisi Coates-style personal essays based in pessimism, de-mobilization, and mystification about the actual possibilities for social change. This book dabbled in some of that, but also brought a lot more nuance and personal genius in comics craft than you ordinarily see. We talk about it at length on the Comics for Grownups podcast:
http://comicsforgrownups.tumblr.com/p...