By Shirley D. Easley, M.Ed.
I have always enjoyed reading. As a student, I enjoyed going to the school library and listening to the librarian read books aloud to us. I’d sit on the carpet and imagine I was one of the characters in the books she read. After the librarian read, we had an opportunity to check out and take home books to read for the week. I’d always select the books the librarian read to us.
When I was in the 4th or 5th grade in Cincinnati Public Schools, I remember attending our school book fair. I didn’t have money to buy anything, but I enjoyed wandering around looking at all the book fair had to offer.
The school librarian said, “Shirley, if you could choose any books at the book fair, which books would you choose?” She must have observed me looking sad and wandering around in and out of aisles. I gave her two titles, “Dear Mr. Henshaw” and “The Luckiest Girl,” both written by Beverly Clearly.
She handed me both books, I was grateful and excited! I still have those same books in my home library. Even though I am thankful for this gesture, I wonder what books I would have chosen if there were books that had characters that looked like me. It is no surprise that the books that existed at the school book fair then were mostly geared toward White elementary students and thus was all from which I could choose.
Now many years later I am an elementary public school teacher. I have a variety of diverse children’s literature picture books in my classroom. I made it my mission to make my classroom inviting for all students. As such, I was eager to attend a professional development on diverse children’s literature.
The invitation came a few months ago from one of my former student teachers, who invited me to the early Saturday morning session. During the session one of the attendees, a White woman, asked a question about what she was currently reading with her class. She asked, “Is it okay to still read the book ‘Little Black Sambo’?”
I almost fell to the floor! I was seated in the back of the room and could see everyone’s facial expressions. Up front was an African American woman librarian who responded, “I can’t believe you just said that?! Out of all the books you could read to students you mention ‘Little Black Sambo’?”
I agreed wholeheartedly with this. An awkwardness filled the room and not surprisingly, after that interaction, the facilitator gave us a break. During the break I approached the White female teacher and offered to help her diversify her children’s book selection. I requested that she stop reading the “Little Black Sambo” book to students especially as she teaches kindergarten at an urban public school where she teaches predominately Black and Brown students.
I thought about her comment all weekend long. When I returned to my classroom the following week, I grabbed as many culturally relevant picture books and filled a bag to give to her. No teacher in an urban, suburban or rural public school should ever feel it is okay to read “Little Black Sambo.” Just Google it! You will see what I’m talking about.
Let me provide some historical background regarding the book. “The Story of Little Black Sambo” was written by Helen Bannerman, born in 1863 in Edinburg, Scotland. She married William Bannerman in 1889. She and her family lived in India where her husband practiced medicine.
Helen wrote the book for her daughters, and it was published in London in 1899. And a year later it was published in the U.S. The book was popular during its time and often praised by teachers and librarians. In fact, it was in circulation through the 1960s.
I have read the book myself, and what is problematic are the illustrations. The illustrations portray Black folks unpleasantly. I don’t know anyone that looks like the characters portrayed in the book.
After this experience, I reflected and thought about how many other teachers within my school district and beyond read racially offensive text to students of color. Even some of the curriculum districts select for us to teach students are questionable. If this White teacher has been getting away with reading these racially insensitive picture books to students over the years, then how many other teachers are doing the same
Rather than “mean muggin’” her and rolling my eyes every time I saw her, the best approach was to provide her with resources she could use to appropriately teach her classroom filled with diverse students. After handing her the bag of books, I offered to do a book audit. While this has yet to happen, I’ll continuously give her culturally relevant books for the Black and Brown students in her classroom. I feel compelled to work with her to change the problem into a solution that strives for student academic achievement.
Editor’s Note: The views expressed in this commentary piece do not necessarily the express the opinions of The Cincinnati Herald.
Shirley is a gift to our children and our communities. Her humility is unmatched. More writing from her!
Excellent article. Our experiences with teachers outside of our culture should be informative. This article provides an insight on what happens when they’re misinformed.
Keep helping people evolve.
Thank you Shirley for choosing to lead and care.
Shirley, this is sister Senita and thank you so much for this article. I will be 71 in March of this year and this was one of the books we had to read in the 1950’s in South Carolina. I never forgot it. I’m so proud of you being the leader you are and not just teaching the children but giving guidance & direction to adults of other nationalities that have no idea about diversity. Congratulations daughter, keep up the amazing work.
Dear Ms. Shirley D. Easley, M.Ed,
I understand your concern and share the fundamentals of it.
That said, I would ask you to reconsider you position of absolute avoidance of the story of Sambo. Yes, it’s message has been significantly overwhelmed by being badly illustrated by racially insensitive artists, and having been too often told without any understanding of its cultural matrix. That is most unfortunate.
Sambo, himself, is a positive character. He bravely and cleverly overcomes very dire circumstances in the story.
Sambo, an Indian child, being called “Black” is an example of British colonial terminology. The use of the term “Black”, and its context, give a great jumping off point to introduce larger ideas like colonialism and encourage young readers to think more circumspectly about what they read and hear, where it may have come from, and how that may have impacted the story. To me, this is what teaching is about. The teacher is not replaceable by an audio/video player.
We raised our own children with diverse literature promoting the dignity of all people. When taken in its entirity, and properly prefaced, I believe that Sambo does that. He is a relatable young person, who bravely faces the problems that confront him, and overcomes them through creative thinking.
I believe it is instructive remember the deeper lesson of Sleeping Beauty. She was not put into a coma just because there was a spinning wheel. Rather, because her parents thought that, by removing all spinning wheels, they could protect her. Without spinning wheels, they did not teach her what they were, or about the danger they posed to her.
Let us pick Sambo up from the dust of racist iconography, brush him off, and restore him to his rightful place among admirable characters.
This is not a racist book. Terminology from history should not be censored. The story was a beloved one of my siblings and I as children. Don’t put your emotions before logic.
I fully concur with Joshua. Most people have never read this book and have no clue what it was about. It had nothing to do with African Americans. The original illustrations were not ethnically demeaning in the least. Later illustrations (poorly done I might add) could be construed as less than flattering, but the story is about an INDIAN BOY FROM INDIA! Get a grip. Racists (no doubt illiterate and unfamiliar with the story) unfortunately co-opted the name “Sambo” as a racial slur directed at African Americans.
It would be a worthy endeavor for
a real illustrator to celebrate the appealing
characters….
the old pics just reveal the warped perpective
of an ignorant scribbler.
I have never thought of this book as offensive or racist of any kind. The illustrations were in step with the time at that time, I enjoyed the story of Little Black Sambo when I was in the first grade, and still do. My classmates and I thought of the artist depictions as comical.
I was just looking at the 1961 Whitman Publishing version of Little Black Sambo that I found among the belongings of my deceased wife. It made me wonder what Ms. Easley found offensive about the illustrations. None of the Indian characters were drawn in a way to make them look silly or unattractive – to the contrary. Nor did I see anything racist about the book, apart from the use of “Black” in the child’s name. Not that this makes it racist or derogatory any more than “white” does in the name, Snow White.
I’m a white male, 73 years old. I see why early illustrations are offensive to black people. If the story itself is offensive, It’s not apparent to me why it is. If it is offensive to some, would someone offer their opinion of why that is please?