The Truth In This Art: Stories That Matter

Ben Passmore closes out this season of The Truth in This Art.

Ben Passmore (DAYGLOAYHOLE, Your Black Friend, Sports Is Hell, BTTM FDRS; contributor to The Nib) joins Rob Lee to discuss his new book, Black Arms to Hold You Up: A History of Black Resistance.

An award-winning cartoonist whose work ranges from the fantastical to the autobiographical, Passmore brings sharp, often humorous social commentary on politics, activism, white supremacy, sports, and the Black American experience.

In this episode, Passmore shares the story behind Black Arms to Hold You Up—why he chose graphic nonfiction, how he approached making it, and the care required when drawing real people and histories. He breaks down craft decisions that make complex ideas legible without flattening them, and how he balances clarity, intention, and voice.

The conversation also digs into audience and context: making art in rooms where you’re often the only Black person, how perception shifts outside community, and what cultural moments reveal about how we frame Black artists. It’s about how comics can carry culture, memory, and critique—connecting personal storytelling to broader histories while inviting readers to keep learning.

Topics Covered:

Make the conversation count: buy Black Arms to Hold You Up. Passmore’s new graphic nonfiction holds contradiction with care, keeps the humor respectful, and carries history without flattening it.

Host: Rob Lee
Music: Original music by Daniel Alexis Music with additional music from Chipzard and TeTresSeis.
Production: