Heroic Deeds

David Washington ’06 PHD and his family hold a movie night every Friday, and their usual pick is an action film. But Washington wasn’t seeing many protagonists that represent people of color like him and his family.

He saw that as a problem. “Every child deserves to see themselves in their heroes,” he says. “When you can see yourself in your heroes, it gives you a chance to look into a window of what you could be. Every child needs that.”

When you can see yourself in your heroes, it gives you a chance to look into a window of what you could be. Every child needs that.

When Washington decided to do his part to make that happen, he turned to a medium he never read as a kid — the comic book. The result? His 2024 award-winning graphic novel, Black Defender: The Awakening. It tells the story of Dr. Chris Withers, a former U.S. Special Forces member, who is forced to choose between justice and vengeance when tragedy strikes his family. He suits up as Black Defender, a superhero wearing the Epa, the West African Adinkra symbol for justice, across his chest armor.

Washington, 46, hopes the story does more than just offer a two-dimensional Black hero. “I want to take the time to explain the Black experience,” says Washington, who infuses the narrative with conversations about privilege, the loss of Black and brown life and what policing looks like in America for people of color.

Thus far, Black Defender’s success has Washington, himself a U.S. Army veteran, already planning an ensuing series of graphic novels, each introducing a new superhero. There’s also a film on tap. And the graphic novel has garnered a handful of honors for Washington, who runs a business consulting firm by day. Black Defender received a Best Indie Book Award and was nominated for an NAACP Image Award.

But what Washington appreciates most is giving people a superhero in a time when he says more heroes are needed. “I’m referring to the power to stand up and speak truth to power,” he says, “to step up when you are in the room and voice that concern.”

Tell Us What You Think

Do you have a personal connection to this story? Did it spark a memory? Want to share your thoughts? Send us a letter, and we may include it in an upcoming issue of NC State magazine.