The United States is an increasingly culturally and linguistically diverse nation. English teachers play an important role in prompting students to engage in democratic dialogue about equity in response to visual messages that circulate historic and present- day racism and other derogatory messages about class, gender, sexual orientation, and ability. To foster dialogue in the classroom around issues of equity, teachers must address historic and modern- day complexities about race and racism. Literature and other forms of text offer dynamic opportunities to facilitate this dialogue. In this article, Melissa Schieble conveys how teaching Gene Luen Yang's graphic novel "American Born Chinese" from a critical visual literacy approach enables students to gain a deeper understanding of Yang's commentary on historic and modern stereotypes of Asians and Asian Americans.