Joel Christian Gill

A nationally recognized speaker, award-winning cartoonist, historian, and storyteller, Professor Joel Christian Gill has dedicated his career to bringing passionate, untold stories of Black history to life. Through his work, he explores how storytelling can build meaningful connections with readers and audiences through empathy, compassion, and, ultimately, our shared humanity.

Professor Gill is the author of the Eisner-nominated graphic memoir Fights: One Boy’s Triumph Over Violence, named one of The New York Times’ Best Graphic Novels of 2020 and recipient of the Cartoonist Studio Prize. He is also the author and illustrator of the award-winning graphic novel series Strange Fruit: Uncelebrated Narratives from Black History and Tales of the Talented Tenth, which bring to life the remarkable stories of figures including Bass Reeves, Bessie Stringfield, and Robert Smalls.

Gill also adapted Dr. Ibram X. Kendi’s National Book Award-winning Stamped from the Beginning into the graphic history Stamped from the Beginning: A Graphic History of Racist Ideas, published by Ten Speed Press.

As a nationally sought-after speaker, Professor Gill speaks about the power and importance of sharing stories—particularly stories that have been overlooked, marginalized, or left out of the historical record. His work and insights have been featured by HuffPost Live, NBC, NPR, TED, NHPR, WBUR, WGBH, MPTV, WCVB Channel 5, The New York Times, The Boston Globe, The Philadelphia Inquirer, The Chicago Tribune, The Los Angeles Times, and Google, among others.

Whether through comics, classrooms, or the stage, Professor Joel Christian Gill uses the power of storytelling to illuminate the past, challenge the present, and inspire a more empathetic understanding of our shared history.

• University’s College of Fine Arts MFA in Visual Narrative.
• An accomplished educator: He earned his MFA from Boston University and his BA from Roanoke College.
• A passionate advocate for Black history: Gill believes that Black history is American history and that it deserves to be celebrated and explored 365 days a year.
• A working cartoonist and educator: Prof Gill currently serves as chair of the MFA in Visual Narrative and has a busy publishing schedule. In 2027 he has 3 books forthcoming Fights Deluxe edition, a bio of Jackie Robinson book 1 and his first fiction book Legend of the Chainbreaker.