Jackie Ormes was the first-ever syndicated black female cartoonist; within her work, she was able to speak out about social justice through her art. Even when the cartoons were sometimes shocking and provocative for the publics' mindset, she didn't let that fear hold her back from using her platform and standing up for what she thought was right.
In her early years, Ormes got her start through drawing for her high school yearbook, illustrating her peers and teachers. Her first official publication came after sending a letter to the editor of the Pittsburgh Courier, an African-American weekly newspaper. She then was given a job at the paper as a proofreader. Many years later, Ormes made her first comic strip titles "Torchy Brown in Dixie, to Harlem." The cartoon follows a story narrative about a singer.
The part of the presentation on Jackie Ormes that made me want to write about her is the cartoon below. It conveys a pointed sentence criticizing society for the reason behind the brutal lynching and murder of Emmit Till: whistling. Although in this cartoon, Ormes flips the race and portrays it as if it had been a white person whistling. Not to mention how clever she was in being able to convey all this through a subtle cartoon depicting a kettle. I was very impressed by her forethought and genius to depict this social justice through a simple yet deep cartoon.
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