Every person and every place has a unique story. This graphic novel is a story of people in South Sacramento. A story of different histories coming together to form one community with multiple experiences and yet a linked destiny. As this graphic novel illustrates, unhealthy neighborhood conditions are the result of discriminatory policies by decision makers and long-term disinvestment of public and private dollars. But, the future is not yet written. Despite all of the challenges facing South Sacramento, this is a story of hope. As these illustrations so beautifully depict, residents are coming together to change the story, because everyone deserves to live in a healthy neighborhood.
This story is part of a series profiling each of the places partnering in BHC. Together, they are the storyof California’s future – a story of dignity and inclusion,where everyone belongs and has the opportunity to live up to their full potential.
It may seem that communities emerge out of random interactions, events, and occurrences, but if we leave it there, we only get part of the story. The goal of this comic is to tell a story of how communities develop within a set of historical circumstances…not always perfect and often unequal and violent. It explores the historical legacy and impact of structural inequality and oppression in South Sacramento that has left our community racialized, segregated, and ultimately excluded from resources.
This story highlights examples of structural racism, sexism, classism, and their compounding effects that when intersected over time requires us to examine these phenomena. While this oppression may seem invisible to some it manifests through disinvestment in community, including limited and disproportionate access to healthcare, education, transportation, employment, food access, quality housing and wealth accumulation. This story follows individuals and groupswho struggle against the outside in uences that threatentheir communities and we see their contributions to making realsystems-level change
Click BHC_SouthSacComic copy 2 for a chance to read the digital version of the comic book.
