Archive for the 'CWA' Category

Cartoon for Women’s eNews: Relief for Haitian Women

Thursday, January 21st, 2010 by Mikhaela Reid

Haiti already had the highest maternal, infant and under-five mortality in the Western Hemisphere and the earthquake (and the collapse of hospitals, including an obstetrics hospital) certainly hasn’t helped. In addition to more broad-based relief groups, please also consider giving to women’s relief groups such as Madre that are dealing with women and girls’ unique needs in the aftermath.

Here’s the cartoon at Women’s eNews, and below is a permalink (the eNews link expires in a week or so):

Mikhaela Reid
Metro Times (Detroit)
Jan 21, 2010

I will add that I received a really disturbing bit of pro-rape (seriously!?) email from a Mr. John Napolitano in response to this cartoon this morning. An excerpt (warning–this is really horrible, so please don’t read if it will upset you… it certainly upset me):

But do you understand that the rapist could be another (male) earthquake victim. pushed over the edge from being denied the aid they need?

But most women’s advocacy is full of this sort of narrow short sightedness, which does nothing but make another part of the people feel less than equal. I sometimes wonder if this isn’t the real aim.

The end result is the furthering of the “Women’s Agenda at the expense of Humanity…..

No comment. That really soured my morning.

Cartoons on Haiti from the Mikhaela Archives

Wednesday, January 20th, 2010 by Mikhaela Reid

I’ll have a cartoon about maternal health in Haiti tomorrow for Women’s eNews. I haven’t drawn anything yet about the way the relief effort is going, or the political implications, or the history behind this “natural” disaster (earthquakes are natural disasters, but extreme vulnerability to earthquakes are not)… In the meantime, two from the archives:

For some reason (not sure why I didn’t do any cartoons about the coup against Aristide?) I hadn’t drawn any cartoons about Haiti since 2004. Here’s one from 2004 and one from 2002. I was appalled to hear that the U.S. has told Haitians that even if they manage to get to the U.S. via dangerous boat journey, they will just be jailed. At least no one is being deported to Haiti at the moment.

Click image to see full-size for either.

Cartoon: Haitian Cruise

Wednesday, January 20th, 2010 by Mikhaela Reid


Click to enlarge

Seriously? They seriously claim this is the BEST way to help, sunning in a fenced-in resort 60 miles from hundreds of thousands of people in desperate need of immediate aid? Meanwhile, Doctors Without Borders had difficulty getting their mobile hospital supplies into Port-Au-Prince…

Caption: Royal Caribbean cruise ships continue to dock in Haiti
Dialogue: Buying trinkets in a fenced-in resort is the LEAST we can do for those lovely unfortunate people! Absolutely! More champagne, darling?

Massachusetts Mourning

Wednesday, January 20th, 2010 by Mikhaela Reid

Ugh. This really brings me back to what I think might have been my first cartoon for the then Boston Phoenix, drawn in November 2002 the morning after Mitt Romney won the governor’s seat:

Wish I had still been registered to vote in my home state, not that it would have made a difference. KENNEDY’S SEAT? WTF?!

Massachusetts, please vote Coakley now!

Tuesday, January 19th, 2010 by Mikhaela Reid

While you can!

That is all.

Blue Doodle Cartoon Hoodie

Tuesday, January 19th, 2010 by Mikhaela Reid


Click to enlarge

OK, ok, I know–enough with the baby stuff. But this is cartoon-related–I sewed up a little blue hooded sweatshirt this weekend with Masheka’s cartoon doodles on it (fabric printed via Spoonflower).

I didn’t have a baby-sized mannequin or doll to put it on, so Masheka kindly used it as a puppet here.

And, by the way, this is a gender-neutral item (baby is a Mystery Baby right now)–I don’t believe in “blue is for boys”, etc. I love blue, so whatever.

Blue Doodle Baby Hoodie Blue Doodle Baby Hoodie detail

Jay Smooth on Haiti: "Haiti is a Nation of Heroes"

Monday, January 18th, 2010 by Mikhaela Reid

Via Racialicious. Only caveat to this otherwise excellent piece–at the end he mentions several organizations to donate to, including Doctors Without Borders and Partners in Health–but also Wyclef’s Yele foundation. After recent revelations, I’d avoid the latter and stick with the former two.

Cartoon: Screw Blue

Monday, January 18th, 2010 by Mikhaela Reid


Click to enlarge

Yes, I’m playing cartoon catchup again–this one ran over a week ago in print. I must admit I’ve been a bit busy preparing for the arrival of the Cartoonist SuperBaby (as in, Masheka and I are both artists and packrats, and we have to get rid of over 1/3 of our earthly posessions and furniture to make room)…

Cartoons on Haiti coming this week of course.

By the way, you may remember this nameless couple–they’ve appeared a few times over the last year or so, starting with the election. Maybe at some point they’ll get actual names.

Cartoon: Obama Does Orwell in Oslo

Wednesday, December 16th, 2009 by Mikhaela Reid


Click to enlarge

I wasn’t planning to do two “Obama is a Mean Old Warmonger” cartoons in a row but come on… accepting the Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo with a speech about how war IS peace? Dude was asking for it…

Cartoon: Urge to Surge 2: Afghanistan!

Tuesday, December 8th, 2009 by Mikhaela Reid


Click to enlarge

This is a sequel to my Iraq Surge cartoon from 2007. Just because Obama sounds so calm and reasonable (and can pronounce nuclear) doesn’t make the victims of his bloody endless war any less dead or tortured.

As I was sketching this cartoon Sunday I got a comment from a reader wondering why I hadn’t expressed my irritation with Obama lately. I told him it was mostly out of disappointment/avoidance, but this surge thing most certainly required comment.