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THE BOSTON GLOBE article: New Storybook Reopens Old Wounds By Louise Kennedy, Globe Staff, 12/14/2003

For Christopher Bing, the reads, noting “the transformation edition in Lexington. Despite text he chose to illustrate as his of its original protagonist from a decades of protest that it contains third book is “the perfect story.” stereotype to a beautiful African racist caricatures and a derogatory “It’s got everything,” Bing says. child living in India.” name, its story of an African boy “An exotic hero, an exotic loca- Poussaint, who directs the in India who outwits some tigers tion. It’s got danger — the Media Center at the Judge Baker has never gone out of print; its tigers — and then he outwits Children’s Center in Boston, says: sales on Amazon.com rank well them. And for a kid in America, “That’s ridiculous. It just shows above many children’s classics. the best thing of all: It had pan- you how even in this day and The book is a century-old light- cakes coming out the ears.” time, you can get white people ning rod that is still hot to the But this story also has, as Bing coming down — they sit in their touch, an icon beloved and acknowledges, a deeply troubled little boardroom and say, `If it’s loathed. history that starts right at the title. offensive, it’s their problem.’ No, Although historians generally It’s “Little Black Sambo.” no. No good.” agree that Bannerman, a Scot liv- Published this month by Karen Breen, children’s book ing in India, probably chose the Handprint Books of Brooklyn, editor at Kirkus, says, “The story name in ignorance, the word N.Y., this 40-page hardcover ver- is just such a wonderful story and “sambo” has a long history as a sion reprints the original 1899 text it needed to be rehabilitated, I racial slur. And the book itself, by Helen Bannerman with new guess the word would be. And the when reprinted in many pirated illustrations by Bing, an award- art in it is extraordinary.” When editions, often became an overtly winning editorial illustrator who told of the negative reactions from racist tract. lives in Lexington and whose Poussaint and others, Breen says, Bing says that only the carica- work regularly appears in the “It could be entirely possible that tures in those later editions were Globe and elsewhere. It has been I am wrongheaded about this.” racist. The name “wasn’t meant to selected as one of 40 children’s The polarized reaction speaks be derogatory,” he says. “I think books on the Kirkus 2003 Editor’s not only to the gulf of mutual the reason it doesn’t have the Choice list — an accolade from a incomprehension that splits apart sting for white people is that respected industry publication that many discussions of racial issues many of them don’t encounter Dr. Alvin F. Poussaint of Harvard in this country, but also to the [the term] `sambo.’ . . . We look at calls “outrageous.” divisive history of “Little Black [the story] with affection.” “A handsome restoration of the Sambo” — a history that already Poussaint counters: “I don’t classic story,” the Kirkus citation has stirred debate over the new see how I can get past the title and what it means. It would be Others also have objected in name all the characters Sam and like him trying to do `Little Black the past to the names of the char- set them in the mythical Sam- Darky’ and saying, `As long as I acter’s parents, Black Mumbo and sam-sa-mara. That same year, the fix up the character so he doesn’t Black Jumbo. But Bing says late Fred Marcellino published look like a darky on the planta- Bannerman chose all the names “The Story of Little Babaji,” with tion, it’s OK.’” simply by sound or by chance. As Indian characters. David Pilgrim, curator of the for “little” and “black,” Bing says “That worked fine for me, Jim Crow Museum of Racist they’re in the tradition of other because he didn’t carry the histor- Memorabilia at Ferris State children’s story titles — “Little ical baggage,” Lester says. University in Big Rapids, Mich., Red Riding Hood,” say. “It was “Baggage that has been buried has studied the word’s history. “If just sort of defining them,” he doesn’t need to be dug up again.” you say `sambo,’ “ he says, “it’s says, “and not racist.” But why But Franceschelli says “the not as bad as `nigga,’ but it’s cer- would the child’s race be his correct approach” is to keep the tainly as bad as `darky’ or to some defining characteristic? name. “Some people say it’s gone, extent, `pickaninny.’ . . . How can “ `Black’ was almost the only it’s past, it should be forgotten you write a book whose central adjective possible in identifying a and buried,” he says. “I under- character has a name that you child of color,” says Bing’s pub- stand that, but . . . I see it as a would not call a black person?” lisher, Christopher Franceschelli, dangerous path. We forget and we While acknowledging that “I “and was done, I think . . . cer- repeat.” live in the cocoon of my studio,” tainly with all the bias that a colo- Bing started working on the Bing, 44, says that when he has nial, imperialist, educated British illustrations as a private project, mentioned the project to others, or Scotswoman would have simply because he “loved this the reaction has been almost brought to it,’ but without the story with a passion,” he says. entirely positive. “I would love obvious edge of `by saying Eventually, he started showing it for the black community to be “black” I have belittled or fore- to others. able to take this image and this shortened.’ “ Henry Louis Gates Jr., who original story and make it a posi- Author Julius Lester, who directs the W.E.B. Du Bois tive,” he says. teaches at the University of Institute at Harvard, is thanked in When he first began working Massachusetts at Amherst, sees it the book; he referred Bing to his on it nearly two decades ago at differently. “Very unconsciously, agent, who took the proposal to the Rhode Island School of with no malice aforethought, Franceschelli, then an editor at Design, he says, one professor [Bannerman] was reflecting her Dutton. Bing says Gates had objected. “I listened to it, but times,” Lester says. “And the fact planned to write an introduction, again, it was, no pun intended, it that she was hurting black people but “he was just buried in work.” was a minority opinion among my never entered her mind. Which Gates did not return calls to his black friends.” doesn’t let her off the hook.” office. Henrietta Smith, professor Lester acknowledges the power After having “committed to emerita at the University of South of Bannerman’s story, in which a publishing it on the spot,” Florida School of Library and boy, pursued by tigers, appeases Franceschelli says, “I remember Information Science, says she them with his fine new clothes; he being extremely puzzled and even grew up hearing the story and watches as the angry tigers spin hurt” when one colleague said never felt demeaned by its into butter, which his mother uses “she would rather resign than be images. Bing’s version “is almost for pancakes. “This is a wonderful involved with publishing this like a classic reproduction of a story,” Lester says, but one that book by a white artist, but would story that you’ve always loved,” has caused a lot of pain. have accepted it by a black artist.” she says. “I’m still concerned His solution, in a 1996 When Franceschelli left Dutton with the name, but that can’t be retelling with Jerry Pinkney called to found Handprint, Bing fol- changed.” “Sam and the Tigers,” was to lowed him. In 2000, they pub- lished “Casey at the Bat,” which versy in Lexington, where a par- In everything from postcards to received a Caldecott honor medal, ent objected to a library-spon- collectible figurines, he says, he is and in 2001 “The Midnight Ride sored display of some illustra- seeing once-discarded images, of Paul Revere.” Both books use tions. The parent contacted the such as Amos ‘n’ Andy, coming visual devices to comment on a Globe, which ran an article Oct. back to the marketplace. familiar text — an approach, 8, as well as the head of the “So this does not surprise me,” Franceschelli says, that carries Lexington Montessori School, Pilgrim says. “People are more through into “Little Black William D. Valentine, who has comfortable now saying, `Oh, I Sambo.” written letters to Lexington book- really like the story “Little Black “That attempt to work on these stores asking them not to sell the Sambo,” and I think people would two levels is really what book. like reading it.’ Whereas 10 years Christopher has done very well,” Harvard Law School professor ago you would be afraid of being Franceschelli says. He adds that Randall Kennedy, whose book called a racist.” Bing’s “Little Black Sambo,” “Nigger” examined the painful For Pilgrim, the book can’t be which includes a historical note, history of that slur, argues that separated from its history. “I’m could serve as “a great introduc- intent is important. Noting that he thinking if you really understand tion” to a troubled past. has not seen Bing’s book, the history not just of the book For Bing, this project is an Kennedy says, “If they’re educat- but of `sambo’ the slur, then you attempt to rehabilitate a misunder- ing people about the `Little Black realize you cannot divorce those. stood artifact. “I would like to Sambo’ controversy, then I don’t You may divorce those, but dispel the cloud around it,” he have a problem with it. We need there’s a whole community of says. “I don’t ever want a black to know about our history.” people that cannot.” child to pick up the book and look For Pilgrim, of the Jim Crow at the images and feel insulted. . . Museum, the new “Little Black Louise Kennedy can be . I want a child to feel just the Sambo” is part of a larger trend. reached at [email protected]. wonder I did as a child.” “There does seem to me to be a © Copyright 2003 The book has caused contro- kind of backlash,” Pilgrim says. Globe Newspaper Company.