Exoneration Nation: Political Cartoons of 2014
by Darrin Bell

The year in political cartoons by Darrin Bell of the Washington Post Writers Group, winner of the 2015 Robert F. Kennedy Journalism Award for Editorial Cartooning. From police brutality to corporate con artists, to rape, to Chris Christie’s Bridgegate, this was the year when everyone got away with everything. If they were rich or powerful, that is. These stunningly-drawn, full color cartoons are thoughtful and evocative. As Amy Lago of the Washington Post Writers Group put it, "Darrin is like a sign language interpreter translating what whites say into what blacks hear. Bell prodded readers to consider how different celebrities are viewed through the prism of race. When two Nypd officers were gunned down, his cartoon illustrated how they lost their lives because of the uniforms they wore. Bell deftly takes on the pressing social issues of the day, from gay rights, to rape victims who are not believed, to children flooding into the United States, hoping for a brighter future.