In 2018, when the Black Panther movie came out, Dawn Arrington knew something magical had happened. Kids and adults in her under-resourced neighborhood in Cleveland, OH, were excitedly talking about it and sparkling with joy over the Black superhero and his super-advanced country of Wakanda.
Arrington understood that she had a unique opportunity to build community in her Mount Pleasant neighborhood around Black Panther. So she bought stacks of the comic book and drove around giving the comics away from the trunk of her car.
It was a big hit, even though she admits it was a bit weird. “I didn’t think that through, because I would be appalled if my children went to some strange woman’s car because she promised them comic books,” says Arrington. She has since refined her approach, but comics remain at the heart of her weaving.
Now, she creates comic book spaces that draw both kids and adults. Those spaces might be in libraries, at community events, or just chairs on the street. Some are about reading comics, whether that’s Green Lantern or more serious stories like the graphic novel version of Octavia Butler’s Parable of the Sower.
Some are about discussing the stories or dressing up as superheroes. And some are about inventing and drawing new comics. All, though, are aimed at bringing neighbors of all ages together.
She says the events create bonds of trust among neighbors. “When I talk to people, I make it clear that I’m not with any organization. I’m just their neighbor and all this is to get people to see their power in building and sustaining the community.”
They serve another important objective, too. “At one point, the estimates were that nearly 90% of the people that live in Mount Pleasant were not reading above a second to fourth grade reading level,” says Arrington. “That’s wild to me, that’s an injustice.” So she called in the justice fighters she’d met in comics.
She understands that comic books might not be everyone’s idea of serious literature, but she says, “you need to start somewhere. Full-spectrum literacy is not an inherent gift or talent. It’s a skill that you have to learn, and comics are just a fun place to start.”
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