Graphic Novels & Social Justice | Final Projects
What You Give
Project
My name is Bayan Williams, and I’m a 12th grader who enjoys using writing to explore deep research and real-world themes.
My graphic novel, “What You Give,” highlights the cycle of violence in society through a school shooting scenario.
The story’s central social justice theme is gun violence and the cycle of hate that fuels violent acts.
I wanted to shine a light on the reality of school shootings in America — a crisis that affects students, families, and whole communities.
“What You Give” uses stark, symbolic visuals to reveal how victims are often reduced to statistics and faceless silhouettes rather than remembered as real people.
The novel explores how violence creates more violence — a cycle driven by fear, pain, and unresolved trauma.
I wrote this story because gun violence is one of America’s biggest ongoing issues, and too many students live with the fear of something that should never happen — violence in their own schools.
I also wanted readers to understand how society often dehumanizes victims by portraying them as blank, faceless figures in illustrations and news reports.
My hope is that this story encourages people to see the full humanity behind every victim and recognize how cycles of violence can — and must — be broken.