Picturing Black Lesbians: The Art of Sarita Johnson

Sarita Johnson was a prolific artist whose repeated contributions to Onyx: Black Lesbian Newsletter (1982-1984), On Our Backs (1984-2006), and Aché (1989-1993), affirmed Black lesbianism as visible and viable. At a time when mainstream feminism focused primarily on white women, Black rights activism centered on men, and queer activism concentrated on gay white men, the work of artists like Johnson was critically important. Lesbian magazines served as a premier venue for artists to create and share images of lesbian desire, family, and community. Johnson was committed to depicting the everyday life of Black lesbians, from the erotic to the family-oriented. Her works for On Our Backs, a magazine founded in the wake of feminist debates over pornography, were sexually explicit, such as the illustration included in the first issue that accompanied an erotic story by famed author Jewelle Gomez. However, Johnson’s almost monthly cover for Black Lesbian Newsletter and her work in Aché focused on the Black lesbian family. Johnson understood the vital role of pictures and archival visual material in creating a past and future legacy for Black lesbian families. Her faithful representations of her community are a testament to her dedication to visual art as a medium for change and the magazine as an alternative space for art. From her drawings depicting families and children to those of erotic pleasure, Johnson’s work challenged existing assumptions and showed readers that life as a Black lesbian could be diverse and fulfilling as well as part of a longer legacy.