History is messy. It’s loud, then suddenly, it’s quiet. Mark Twain allegedly said history doesn't repeat itself, but it rhymes. When you pick up The Silence of Our Friends, the semi-autobiographical graphic novel by Mark Long, Jim Demonstrakos, and Nate Powell, you aren't just reading a comic book. You are stepping into a specific, humid, and terrifying moment in 1967 Houston, Texas. It’s a story about the Civil Rights movement, sure. But more than that, it’s about the awkward, painful, and often failed attempts at solidarity between a White family and a Black family during a time when even being seen together could get you killed.
Honestly, most people think they know the Civil Rights era. They think of the "I Have a Dream" speech and grainy footage of lunch counter sit-ins. But the silence of our friends refers to something deeper and more haunting. The phrase itself is a nod to Martin Luther King Jr., who once remarked that in the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends. It is a gut-punch of a realization.
The Real History Behind the Texas Southern University Riot
The book centers on a real-life event: the TSU riot of 1968 (though the buildup starts in '67). It wasn't just a random scuffle. Tensions were high because students were protesting the "fairgrounds" or the "bottoms"—impoverished areas where Black residents were treated as second-class citizens.
Police presence on campus was suffocating.
On the night of May 16, 1967, things exploded. Over 600 police officers descended on the TSU campus. They fired thousands of rounds into a dormitory. Think about that for a second. Thousands of bullets. One officer, Louis Kuba, was killed. The police blamed the students, but forensic evidence later suggested he might have been hit by "friendly fire" from another officer’s ricochet. Regardless, five students—the TSU Five—were charged with murder.
Long’s narrative doesn't shy away from how terrifying this was for people living it. His father, Jack Long, was a television reporter who tried to cover the truth. That's the core of the silence of our friends. While the media was painting the students as thugs, a few people were trying to say, "Hey, this isn't what happened." But their voices were often drowned out by the roar of the status quo.
Why Nate Powell’s Art Changes Everything
If this were just a standard prose novel, it would be good. But Nate Powell’s art makes it haunting. Powell is the same artist who did the March trilogy with John Lewis. He has this way of drawing shadows that feel like they're physically pressing down on the characters.
In The Silence of Our Friends, the "silence" isn't just a lack of talking. It’s a visual weight. You see it in the eyes of the children. Mark Long and the children of the Black activist family, based on the real-life Larry Thomas, are trying to navigate a world their parents can barely handle.
The kids just want to play. They want to be friends. But the world won't let them.
The art uses a lot of grey tones. It feels like a memory that’s been slightly burnt around the edges. When the police raid happens, the panels get chaotic. The lettering gets jagged. You feel the panic. It captures the reality that during the 60s, "law and order" was often a code word for state-sponsored violence against Black bodies.
The Personal Cost of Not Staying Silent
Let's talk about Jack Long and Larry Thomas. This is where the book gets uncomfortable. It’s easy to be an ally in 2026 on social media. It’s hard to be an ally in 1967 when your neighbors are ready to firebomb your house.
Jack Long wasn't a superhero. He was a guy with a job and a family. Larry Thomas was a man fighting for the basic dignity of his community. Their friendship wasn't "perfect." It was full of misunderstandings. There’s a specific scene where the families try to have a secret dinner. The tension is thick enough to cut with a steak knife. They are waiting for a brick to come through the window.
This is the nuance people miss about the silence of our friends. Being a "friend" meant putting your life, your career, and your kids' safety on the line. Most people didn't do it. They weren't necessarily "evil" people; they were just quiet. And that quietness is what allowed the injustice to continue for so long.
The TSU Five and the Failure of Justice
The legal battle following the riot was a sham. The TSU Five—Tannie Benoit, Floyd Tillman, John Jude, Douglas Wayne Waller, and Charles Freeman—were essentially political prisoners.
The prosecution didn't have a case. They didn't have the weapon. They didn't have witnesses that held up under scrutiny. Yet, the city wanted blood. They wanted to make an example of these "radicals."
In the book, we see how the media plays a role in this. Jack Long is caught in the middle. As a reporter, he sees the discrepancy between what the police are saying and what actually happened on that campus. If he speaks up, he loses his career. If he stays silent, he loses his soul. It’s a classic Hemingway-esque dilemma, but it’s real. It happened to real people in Houston.
Eventually, the charges against the TSU Five were dropped because the evidence was so flimsy. But the damage was done. The students' lives were upended. The campus was traumatized. And the city of Houston remained deeply divided.
Why Does This Matter Today?
You might think, "Okay, that was 60 years ago. Why are we still talking about the silence of our friends?"
Because the "silence" has just changed shapes.
Today, we see it in the way people respond to systemic issues. It’s easy to post a black square on Instagram; it’s much harder to challenge a racist policy at your workplace or stand up for a neighbor when it might cost you social capital.
The book forces you to ask: Who are you in this story? Are you the one fighting? Are you the one trying to report the truth? Or are you the one sitting in your living room, watching it on the news, and saying nothing because you don't want to make things "political"?
Common Misconceptions About the Book and the Event
A lot of people think this is a "White Savior" story. It isn't. Mark Long is very careful to show that his father didn't "save" anyone. If anything, the Black community in Houston saved themselves through sheer resilience. Jack Long was just a witness who eventually found his voice.
Another misconception is that the TSU riot was a "riot" started by students. Contemporary accounts and subsequent historical analysis by experts like Dr. Thomas R. Cole have shown that it was much more of a "police riot." The students were trapped. They were defending their space from an invasion.
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Deep Dive: The Atmosphere of 1960s Houston
Houston in the 60s was a strange place. It was the "Space City," the crown jewel of the New South. While NASA was looking at the moon, people on the ground were still arguing over where a person could sit on a bus or which water fountain they could use.
The Bayou City was a powder keg.
The silence of our friends captures this duality perfectly. The gleaming skyscrapers and the muddy, neglected streets of the Third Ward. The book uses the geography of the city to show the divide. When the characters move between neighborhoods, the atmosphere changes. The air feels different.
Actionable Insights: How to Not Be Silent
Reading this book shouldn't just be an academic exercise. It should change how you interact with the world. Here is how you can actually apply the lessons from the silence of our friends in a modern context:
1. Educate Yourself on Local History
Don't just look at national Civil Rights figures. Every city has a "TSU Riot" or a "Third Ward." Find out what happened in your own backyard. Who were the activists in your city in the 60s? What were they fighting for? Often, those same battles (housing, education, policing) are still happening.
2. Audit Your Silence
When you see an injustice—small or large—what is your first instinct? If it’s to look away to avoid "drama," you are practicing the silence MLK warned about. Start small. Challenge a "joke." Ask a hard question in a meeting.
3. Support Authentic Storytelling
The reason we know about the TSU Five today is because of people like Mark Long and Jim Demonstrakos who insisted on telling the story. Support independent journalism and graphic memoirs that tackle difficult historical truths.
4. Understand the Cost of Allyship
Real allyship isn't a hobby. It’s a commitment. In the book, the families' friendship costs them peace of mind and safety. While we may not face the same physical threats today, being a "friend" still requires a willingness to lose something for the sake of what is right.
Final Thoughts on the Legacy of the TSU Five
The TSU Five weren't just names in a legal brief. They were young men whose lives were nearly destroyed by a system that preferred a convenient lie over a difficult truth. When we talk about the silence of our friends, we are talking about the moral obligation to speak when it is most dangerous to do so.
Mark Long’s work serves as a bridge. It connects the visceral fear of 1967 to the complex social landscape of today. It reminds us that friendship isn't just about liking the same things; it’s about standing in the gap for someone else, even when the world tells you to stay in your lane.
If you haven't read the graphic novel, go get it. Look at the faces Powell drew. See the sweat on the brows of the protestors. Listen to the quiet moments between the chaos. It’s a masterclass in how to tell a story that is both deeply personal and historically massive.
The silence is still there. It’s in the things we don't say at the dinner table. It’s in the news stories we ignore because they make us feel guilty. Breaking that silence is the work of a lifetime. It’s messy, it’s loud, and it’s the only way things actually change.
To really understand the impact of this era, look up the archival footage of the TSU campus after the 1967 raid. See the bullet holes for yourself. Then, ask yourself if you would have been one of the ones speaking up or if you would have added to the deafening silence that followed.