The Courage of Franklin

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“I GOT SIX COMPLIMENTS TODAY AND TWO OF THEM WERE EVEN SINCERE.”

THE COURAGE OF

FRANKLIN THE BOY WHO CHANGED AMERICA


beginning

/Maxwell 2018 fig. 2


To the extent that cartoonists deal in fantasy, your suggestion for integrated comic strip could be used as a device for demonstrating what the world could or should be like.�

Thomas Bradley (letter to Glickman 1968)

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/Ray 1968 fig. 3


preface

W

hen searching for my dissertation topic, my aspirations were simple. I wanted my topic to educate, both myself and readers. I wanted it to be on a topic that hadn’t necessarily been talked about in the past – hard I know, with the amount of academic papers there are nowadays. I wanted a topic that showed how much the world has changed over the years with the help of design.

There’s still a lot I don’t know about design and about what the future might hold in the design world, but I do know myself that design has the ability to change minds. This is something that Harriet Glickman has proven to me. Scrolling down my never-ending newsfeed on Facebook, an article caught my eye. Yes, a common occurrence. But there was something different here. It told the story of Glickman. The year was 1968; it had been less than two weeks since the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. In the wake of King’s assassination, Glickman was asking herself what she could do to change the conditions within American society that contributed to the “vast sea of misunderstanding, fear, hate and violence” (Glickman 1968). Glickman turned out to be the driving force behind the first African-American boy to be included in an American comic strip at the time. Charles M. Schulz’s ‘Peanuts’ was “one of the most adored, well-read” (Glickman 1968) comic strips in the 1960’s and the introduction of the boy – Franklin – is still seen as being revolutionary today. Through Facebook I was able to track Glickman down – you really can do anything on the web nowadays. Since October 2018 I have been in email communication with her, helping me to gain a better understanding of the need for Franklin in 1960’s America as well as providing me with primary research and sources such as letters, newspaper clippings and original art. I started off knowing very little on the topic and here I am now, having gained a better understanding, with a lot I want to say.

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contents

BEGINNING 0.1. Preface ..................................................................................... p. 4 0.2. Contents ................................................................................... p. 6 0.3. Introduction .............................................................................. p. 8 0.4. Good Grief [history/background] .............................................. p. 12

HI I'M FRANKLIN 1.1. The Introduction of Franklin ..................................................... p. 20 1.2. The Evolution of Franklin ......................................................... p. 24 1.3. Integration of Schools .............................................................. p. 28

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2.1. The Creation of ‘Sesame Street’ .............................................. p. 36 2.2. The Evolution of ‘Sesame Street’ ............................................ p. 40 2.3. Educating Children .................................................................. p. 42

3.1. Differences in Integration ....................................................... p. 48 3.2. Permanent Fixtures ................................................................ p. 52

4.1. One Last One [conclusion] ....................................................... 4.2. Reference List .......................................................................... 4.3. Bibliography ............................................................................ 4.4. List of Illustrations ..................................................................

p. 56 p. 58 p. 60 p. 62

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introduction

A

Thursday night, at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee, April 4, 1968. Martin Luther King Jr. has just been struck by a sniper’s bullet. He is rushed to hospital where he is pronounced dead. King’s death goes on to spark riots in over 100 cities in America. The usual. A situation like this doesn’t seem to put many African-Americans off. It seems to fuel them more as many see King’s assassination as a rejection in their pursuit for equality.

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/Groskinsky 1968 fig. 4


A Monday morning, in Sherman Oaks (Fig. 5), California, April 15, 1968. Harriet Glickman is sat at her typewriter knowing something has to be done. Over the years, there have been so many issues in America that Glickman has felt needed her involvement. The letter she begins to write has come as a culmination of her life to that date. Glickman has asked herself what she can do to help change the conditions in American society that led to King’s assassination. Something has to be done to show African-American citizens that their pursuit for equality is being noted. If both of these situations are about the fight for racial equality within America, they do not describe the same picture. When reading them, we imagine two completely different situations. The first contains anger, dread and destruction, the second is brighter and there is a sense of hope. Both are about a person’s fight for racial integration within America, however they do not share the same approach. How did the introduction of Franklin in ‘Peanuts’ help to shape attitudes to racial integration in America?

How did the introduction of Franklin in ‘Peanuts’ help to shape attitudes to racial integration in America?

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A lot has been said since Glickman’s first correspondence with Schulz in 1968. Even now she is stunned by the amount of interest still stirring about the story. Since the beginning many have written about racial integration in America. However, I have not come across many articles that tackle the subject of racial integration in design. In three points, I hope to show how Franklin has helped America to develop its views and attitudes towards racial integration. These three points will guide this dissertation: how Franklin was introduced to ‘Peanuts’ and America’s reaction to this (Part 1 – Hi I’m Franklin), how TV became the new comic strip (Part 2 – Evolving Education) and how this then went on to develop throughout the years (Part 3 – Racial Integration in the Present Day). With visual elements from the industry (cartoons, comic strips, TV programmes, etc), related texts (popular sources, journals, books) and primary research (letters, interviews, newspapers), I hope to establish how racial integration has become a more common occurrence in America since the late 60’s.

/Broome 2017 fig. 5


0.4.

GOOD GRIEF [Good grief was Charlie Brown’s go-to expression when he was frustrated] /Somerset House 2018 fig. 6

“Try not to have a good time,

F

rom that Monday morning in April when Glickman sent her letter to Schulz – unsure if she would get a reply – to this Wednesday morning in July a lot of opinions have somewhat changed. On this Wednesday morning, Charlie Brown has lost his beach ball whilst at the beach with his sister Sally. It was found and returned to Brown by a boy of a similar age named Franklin. Becoming friends quickly, the two then proceeded to fix Brown’s crooked sandcastle. This simple meeting of two school boys at the beach was how Schulz introduced the first African-American character into his popular comic strip – ‘Peanuts’. And from this moment, Franklin very quickly became a ‘big deal’. When correspondence between Glickman and Schulz began in April 1968, Schulz had expressed his concern at including a person of colour in ‘Peanuts’ with the fear of “patronizing our negro friends”

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this is supposed to be (Schulz 1968). However, black people thought otherwise. In the June, Schulz received a letter from Glickman’s friend, a black person himself. “You mention a fear of being patronizing. Though I doubt that any Negro would view your efforts that way, I’d like to suggest that an accusation of being patronizing would be a small price to pay for the positive results that would accrue” (Kelly 1968). He goes on to write: “We have a situation in America in which racial enmity is constantly portrayed. The inclusion of a Negro supernumerary in some of the group scenes in Peanuts would do two important things. Firstly, it would ease my problem of having my kids seeing themselves pictured in the overall American scene. Secondly, it would suggest racial amity in a casual day-to-day scene.”


/Time 1965 fig. 7

educational.� Charles Schulz (cited in Kishor 2015 p. 149)


‘Peanuts’ was aimed at kids and truth be told, kids don’t look at the world the way that adults do. To them, all that came out of Franklin’s first meeting with Charlie Brown was a new-found friendship and a humorous scene. As Sundaresan (2018) recalls when he read ‘Peanuts’ as a kid: “I remember not even thinking Franklin was a separate character, which is the most powerful thing about it.” Of course, Franklin looked different – with the closely set diagonal lines to reflect the shade of his skin and his curly hair (Fig. 8). However, was he really that different from the rest of the ‘Peanuts’ gang? Up until now, there were no black characters in comic strips alike. Though Franklin was the first black character to be introduced into ‘Peanuts’ he was not the first ethnic minority character to be seen in the strip. Schulz had earlier introduced José Peterson (Fig. 9 and 10) – a character of mixed Latino/Swedish heritage – and although he only featured for a mere six days as a player on Peppermint Patty’s baseball team, he was accepted. However, America’s Civil Rights Movement of the 60’s made for Franklin’s first appearance in ‘Peanuts’ to be even more controversial. /Peanuts 1968a fig. 8

I remember not even thinking Franklin was a separate character, which is the most powerful thing about it” Sundaresan


/Peanuts 1967a fig. 9

Franklin had the ability to change the way that black people were perceived The white population of America were still struggling to come to the realisation that themselves and black people had the same rights. That they could live in the same neighbourhoods, attend the same schools and share the same common areas. How could Schulz gently ease Franklin into the comic strip without backlash? He couldn’t.

“It was crucial and revolutionary to have such a character in a visual medium like this” (Marquez 2018). Franklin was the only character in a comic strip to represent the black population of America. Franklin had the ability to change the way that black people were perceived in America. This was a big task resting on Franklin.

/Peanuts 1967b fig. 10


part 1

He found a majority

/Henriques 1957 fig. 11


of the city’s blacks accepted segregation “without apparent protest.”” (Duhigg 2012 p. 218)


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/Franck 1983 fig. 12


Hi I’m Franklin “There is very little question in the social and medical sciences that “birds of a feather” are far more likely to “flock together” compared with differently feathered birds. The likelihood of phenotypically similar individuals having social ties has been observed for race, age, education, religion” (Boardman, Domingue and Fletcher 2012 p. 17337). In the same way, segregation in 1960’s America meant

that the majority of the time your peers were the same race as you, the same age as you, shared a similar educational experience and had similar beliefs. Segregation at the time was a way of life within American society. However, the introduction of Franklin was about to challenge this.

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20

/Galley 2019 fig. 13


1.1.

THE INTRODUCTION OF FRANKLIN [Franklin’s first line was “Is this your Beach Ball?”]

/Adelman 1975 fig. 14

I

n a letter to Glickman dated July 1, 1968, Schulz wrote that he had taken the first steps to introduce a black child in ‘Peanuts’ (Fig. 13). Schulz had left Glickman in the unknown, giving her no information as to how he was to approach the matter. However, on July 31, she was to find out. In the 1960’s in America, summer was by far the most segregated season: “nowhere is this more evident than along the nation’s beaches and coasts, one of the chief destinations for vacationers and pleasure seekers, and a perennial site of racial conflict and violence” (Kahrl 2018). At this time, beaches didn’t welcome everyone – especially not black people (Fig. 14). So, when Charlie Brown met Franklin on the beach of all places, it is not a surprise that it shocked people in more ways than one.

It has been said that Schulz broke the colour divide “in the least interesting way possible” (Wong 2018). However, this statement could be challenged. If Brown had met Franklin on the ‘dividing line’ between black and white neighbourhoods, at the shops or even at the baseball, would this not have led to less of a backlash than meeting him at the beach? These were familiar places in the 60’s where black and white lives would cross. Whereas, beaches, as just explained, were quite possibly the most segregated public spaces in America at the time. Schulz was most likely accused of breaking the colour divide in a non-significant way because of the personality or lack of personality, that he gave to Franklin. Black people themselves were unimpressed with the way that Franklin came across in the strip.

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22

/Adler 2012 fig. 15


He was there to represent the black population however, he was dull, he was boring and black people couldn’t seem to relate to him. Schulz had been seen to deprive Franklin of a signature trait similar to what other characters in the strip had (Fig. 15), as Rock (1992) explains: “Linus got the blanket, Lucy’s a bitch, Schroeder plays the piano – everybody got their thing except Franklin.” The only distinguishable trait that made Franklin stand out from the rest was the colour of his skin, was this enough? In 1960’s America, yes, this trait made Franklin stand out the most from all other characters in the strip. Schulz didn’t want Franklin to take over Peanuts, he just wanted for him to become an accepted character within the strip and within society, which is most likely the reason that Franklin didn’t get another trait.

relate to. Brown takes for granted that he has met Franklin, and just presumes that they will meet again. “Ask your mother if you can come over sometime and spend the night! We’ll play baseball and build another sandcastle” Charlie Brown (cited in Peanuts 1968). Brown again presumes that Franklin’s mother will say yes to this meeting however, at the time, it would have been unlikely. The introduction of Franklin was a starting point in integrating black characters into America’s comic strips. He was an essential part of ‘Peanuts’ from the off and Schulz stood his ground with critics, responding “either you print it just the way I draw it, or I quit” (Schulz 1968), when challenged over Franklin’s introduction.

Schulz was careful to not be “patronizing” by addressing such racial undertones indirectly. Brown was very much analysed in his first reaction to Franklin, how he accepted him as one of his own. In his first appearance, the boys speak about their families and we learn that Franklin’s dad is currently fighting in Vietnam – as many were at the time. This creates a character that both black and white readers can

With this in mind, this was just the beginning of the fight to make Franklin an accepted character in the strip. If Franklin wasn’t accepted, Schulz risked losing it all.

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1.2.

THE EVOLUTION OF FRANKLIN /Peanuts 1968b fig. 16

“I’m going home Charlie Brown,

W

hen Franklin made his three-day debut appearance in ‘Peanuts’ from July 31 to August 2, 1968, it is no secret that many readers felt that this would be a one off and that Franklin would then be forgotten about. However, to the black population of America it was a relief to see him back just two months later on October 15 (Fig. 16). As Brandon-Croft (2018) explains: “I remember feeling affirmed by seeing Franklin – there’s a little black kid. Thank goodness, we do matter.” Franklin was back having accepted Brown’s offer of going the latter’s house. Most likely not to build a sandcastle though. However, Franklin’s visit doesn’t exactly go to plan – having a similar experience to Peppermint Patty when she went over to the neighbourhood to ‘fix’ Brown’s baseball team two years previously (Fig 17 and 18): “I thought I could help your team, Chuck, but it’s hopeless! I’m going back where I came from” Peppermint Patty “That must be a nice thing to be able to do…” Charlie Brown (cited in Peanuts 1966)

this neighborhood has “I’m going home Charlie Brown…this neighbourhood has me shook.” Franklin Armstrong (cited in Peanuts 1968) ‘Shook’ is the word that stands out in Franklin’s speech. In 1968 ‘shook’ wasn’t seen as ‘common slang’ in America and this is most likely the earliest print usage of the word. This emphasised how “shocked” Franklin was in regard to people’s reactions towards him in Brown’s neighbourhood. It also helps to show how Franklin was different from the rest of them, more articulate and well-read perhaps. Many children in America wouldn’t have known the meaning of ‘shook’ at the time, showing that it could have been a word derived from overseas – possibly originating from Franklin’s parents’ speech.


/Peanuts 1966 fig. 17

me shook.� Franklin Armstrong (cited in Peanuts 1968)

/Peanuts 1968c fig. 18

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‘White flight’ quickly became a well-known term in America.

/Siegel 1942 fig. 19

/Beck 2018 fig. 20

When black people moved in, white people moved out.

Throughout the years, Schulz brought a lot of irony into his comic strips. Of course, both Peppermint Patty and Franklin had every reason to feel out of place in Brown’s neighbourhood. Peppermint Patty was a tomboy – a misfit of sorts - and Franklin black. However, what Schulz slyly suggested in ‘Peanuts’ was that Peppermint Patty and Franklin were not the issue; it was actually the characters around them – Lucy, Linus, Snoopy – that were the problem. Making Peppermint Patty and Franklin stand out from the rest instead of being welcomed into the neighbourhood. ‘Peanuts’ showed the “normal suburban culture” (Wong 2018) of neighbourhoods. It was an analysis of life in America at the time and it highlighted how difficult the subject of integration in the country was then. There were daily challenges for black people, such as adjusting to different neighbourhoods and being accepted in those neighbourhoods (Fig. 19 and 20). ‘White flight’ quickly became a well-known term in America. When black people moved in, white people moved out as Semuels (2015) explains: “President Lyndon B. Johnson commissioned a panel of civic leaders to investigate the underlying causes of racial tension in the country. The result was the Kerner Report (Fig 21), a document that castigated white society for fleeing to suburbs, where they excluded blacks from employment, housing, and educational opportunities.”

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This was how ethnic minority neighbourhoods within America were formed. “To take Los Angeles as an example, almost the entire white working class of the older southeast industrial belt –some 250,000 people – moved to the job-rich suburban fringe during the 1970s and early 1980s. They were replaced by 328,000 Mexican immigrants” (Davis 2002). People very much got used to the fact that there were different neighbourhoods for different ethnic minorities. They were separated from the rest of society as this is how people believed that it should be. Segregation was at its worst and the subsequent conclusion to the Kerner Report, was that “our nation is moving toward two societies, one black, one white – separate and unequal” (Kerner Commission 1968). If the issues that were causing ‘white flight’ weren’t resolved, the Kerner Commission warned, that the country would then be faced with a “system of ‘apartheid’” in all of its major cities. Schulz made sure that Franklin didn’t just evolve as a character, but he also helped to evolve the views and reactions of other characters within ‘Peanuts’ too. He made sure that Franklin was there to stay and by doing so, he helped to educate generations of people in America about the problems that the country faced in relation to integration and gave black people a sense of belonging in their country.


/Graham 2017 fig. 21

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1.3.

INTEGRATION OF SCHOOLS “White society is deeply implicated in the ghetto. White institutions created it, white institutions maintain it, and white society condones it.” Kerner Commission 1968

T

he growing trend of ‘white flight’ in America meant that there was segregation in all areas of life. Riots which came as a result of King’s death “had quickened the movement and deepened the division. Discrimination and segregation have long permeated much of American life; they now threaten the future of every American” (Kerner Commission 1969). It is because of this that Schulz’s action of showing Franklin mixing with a white community came as such a shock to so many people. Not only did Schulz start by introducing a black person into a white neighbourhood but he also went on to show Franklin sitting in the same row as Peppermint Patty at school (Fig. 22), a gesture that infuriated editors as Barrier (1988) explains in Schulz’s words: “Another editor protested once when Franklin was sitting in the same row of school desks with Peppermint Patty, and said, “We have enough trouble here in the South without you showing the kids together in school.” But I never paid any attention to those things.”

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The issue of Franklin and Peppermint Patty sitting in the same row went on to tackle the situation regarding segregation in American schools (Fig. 23). There were huge issues with mixing black and white students in the learning environment – especially in the South in States such as Louisiana and Mississippi. Just ten years prior to the creation of Franklin “less than two percent of Southern schools had been integrated” (Bridges 2017) (Fig. 24) – however, when Franklin was first introduced in the school environment in 1969, the Supreme Court had just ordered the immediate desegregation of all Mississippi schools. Yet, there was still a massive white resistance to this order. As always when Schulz introduced Franklin in a different surrounding, he did so with no real effect (Fig. 25). People didn’t have anything to criticise Franklin about, apart from the shade of his skin, which shouldn’t count. He didn’t have any prominent negative qualities. Even his small talk didn’t call for negative comments. He was smart, he was witty: “Why don’t you put down true and I’ll put down false? That way one of us will be right…” Peppermint Patty. “One of us will also be wrong…” Franklin Armstrong (cited in Schulz 1969)


/Snopes 2015 fig. 22

/Peanuts 1972 fig. 23

/Peanuts 1993 fig. 24

/Peanuts 2015 fig. 25


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/Peanuts 1974 fig. 26


Not only have they gone on to inspire a nation but also educate one. Franklin had not only become the first black person to be included in as big a comic strip as ‘Peanuts’ but he had also been successfully accepted by the other characters in the strip. Over the years, Franklin and Peppermint Patty were frequently depicted together both in and out of school. This seems to be significant. Both are very different to the rest of the characters, they could be seen as the outcasts of ‘Peanuts’. Their friendship showed readers how both accepted each other for their differences and continued to stick together as a result. This reminded people of how remarkable it was for both of them to be included in the strip at the time. Being a tomboy wasn’t a desired trait and well, neither was being black. Just a few years prior, integrated schools were just a dream to the black population as Peppermint Patty reminded us (Fig. 24 p. 29): “Martin Luther King said, “I have a dream”. Before that, we wouldn’t be sitting here.” (cited in Schulz 1993)

The words the civil rights activist spoke have come a long way since the day he delivered that speech in 1963. Not only have they gone on to inspire a nation but also educate one. Without the assassination of King, would Schulz ever have gone on to include a black person in his comic strip? Although Franklin’s presence in the neighbourhood and at school did cause uproar in States, Schulz knew the difference between right and wrong. Characters such as Peppermint Patty would sometimes put him down (Fig. 26) but Schulz made made sure that Franklin loved everyone that he met, even if it took some time before they started loving him back. ““We must love our white brothers, no matter what they do to us,” King said. “We must make them know that we love them – love your enemies; bless them that curse you; pray for them that despitefully use you.”” (Duhigg 2012 p. 240) This helped to shape Franklin into the much-loved character that he became since his first controversial appearance at the beach.

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part 2

/Library of Congress 1958 fig. 27


One need not look far

to find claims in popular American disclosure that today’s attention spans are short.� (Newman 2010 p. 581)


/Schulz 1966 fig. 28


Evolving Education Integration was a process in America and Franklin himself wasn’t going to resolve the issue. More mass media platforms had to get onboard: “Few of the “funnies” are funny and almost none of them are integrated. The only exception that leaps to mind is Peanuts. The comics lag behind even as the rest of the media hurry to make their mass worlds match reality” (Seidenbaum 1969 p. 20).

Although other comic strips refused to follow in Schulz’s footsteps, film and television got onboard (Fig. 28), wanting to show the reality of integration in America.

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2.1.

THE CREATION OF 'SESAME STREET' Could we learn to accept people of colour more by integrating them into similar industries such as film and television?

I

n the late 1960’s, we witnessed America’s media changing. Franklin had already caused a stir by making his way into the comic strip industry (Fig. 8 p. 14), so could we learn to accept people of colour more by integrating them into similar industries such as film and television? As at this time, we witnessed the media industry being controlled by white people: “During the beginning stages of film and media, African Americans struggled to represent their own stories, beliefs, opinions and identities because White people controlled the entertainment industry and chose what images of Black people to portray.” (Kulaszewicz 2015 p. 2) Franklin was an example of how a black person could be accepted in the media industry however, he was still being portrayed by a white person – Schulz. Was Franklin accepted because he spoke Schulz’s words? Franklin’s stories, beliefs and opinions, were all an image portrayed through Schulz. With this, came a growing need for people to see what black people could be like in the media and how they portrayed themselves. In 1968 – the same year that Franklin was introduced into ‘Peanuts’ – TV producer Joan Ganz Cooney was concerned over what she called the “wasteland” of options being shown on television which were suitable for pre-school aged viewers at the time. Cooney decided a show was needed to educate children before they reached the classroom.

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‘Sesame Street’ debuted in 1969 with the belief that it could better prepare underprivileged children for the transition into the classroom. The show was set in inner-city areas with a diverse cast, so at first glance it was noticeably different to other children’s programmes being aired at the time. Not only did ‘Sesame Street’ look different, it was also the first programme to integrate education into television entertainment (Fig. 29). To people in the 60’s the idea that television could be used to educate children was revolutionary and it was proving to be a success as Adler (1972) explains: “Small children from poor or middle-class families who watch ‘Sesame Street’ do better on cognitive tests and in first grade than children who do not watch it. Children who watch it frequently do better than children who watch it rarely.” ‘Sesame Street’, just like Franklin, also suffered from criticism in its early days of airing. At first Mississippi refused to air the show due to its integrated cast. However, the cast added to the show’s educational value allowing for ‘Sesame Street’ to teach both the curriculum needed for the classroom and traits that will help viewers accept others from all walks of life. “The human characters of “Sesame Street” live in a brownstone on an integrated urban slum block, where, in the company of cloth figures called Muppets – most of which are brightly colored and furry – they teach, among other things, the alphabet, induction, friendliness, geometric forms, and counting.” (Adler 1972)


/Children’s Television Workshop 1969 fig. 29


/Sesame Workshop 1969a fig. 30

Like ‘Peanuts’, ‘Sesame Street’ played a huge part in changing Americans’ views on racial integration. In its first episode, aired on 10 November 1969, black people were seen to be integrating with white people (Fig. 30). On the street there were monsters, there were birds, but it all seemed to work (Fig. 31) as Donahue (1988) explains: “This is Sesame Street. A place where people, birds, monsters all live in perfect harmony.” Thus ‘Sesame Street’ brought integration to the forefront of television entertainment in America. The show helped people witness the struggles of being a black person in America, with its characters such as Kermit the Frog revealing, “It ain’t easy bein’ green” (1970). Although he wasn’t a black person, he was different from all the rest of the monsters. Kermit’s actions helped black people, especially children, embrace their colour as he learnt to embrace his, “I think it’s what I want to be” (1970). Through its diverse cast ‘Sesame Street’ allowed for Americans to witness the daily struggles of being black in the country. Over the years the show brought integration into focus and the more that people were educated on the matter (Fig. 32), the more that people started asking: were the key actors proving to be a difficulty in America’s fight for integration?

/Sesame Workshop 1969b fig. 31

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/TV Guide 1971 fig. 32


2.2.

THE EVOLUTION OF 'SESAME STREET'

/Sesame Workshop 2010 fig. 33

S

ince its debut, ‘Sesame Street’ has dominated educational television. The show has been broadcast daily, with 4,481 episodes being released to date. More recently, co-productions have been produced, reflecting local languages and educational needs in over 20 countries worldwide (Fig 33). ‘Sesame Street’ seized the opportunity to educate children on both knowledge and life skills needed in and out of the classroom.

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In episode 3,140, the show raised the subject of friendships between black and white people showing this was still an ongoing issue in 1993. The episode went on to show that some people will just not accept that people of different races can be friends and that there was still racism everywhere in society – even on ‘Sesame Street’. People declined to believe it however, it has still yet to be resolved.


Gina and Savion are great friends in ‘Sesame Street’, though Gina is white, and Savion is black. They are shown on ‘Sesame Street’ making their way to ‘Hooper’s’ so that Gina can start her shift at the store. Once there, Gina receives a disturbing phone call giving viewers the impression that the person on the other end is not happy about the friendship between herself and Savion. Telly, a muppet, who is also in the room at this point acts confused (Fig. 34) as on ‘Sesame Street’ everyone is accepted for who they are, not for the colour of their skin. Telly (1993) goes onto ask: “What has colour got to do with being friends?” The street shows a diverse society. Where people and monsters, respect and live together, there’s even “an 8-foot bird who’s friends with everyone. I don’t care what colour anybody is” (Telly 1993). This was seen as the only time that ‘Sesame Street’ challenged racism

in as such a direct manner. However, in its 4,481 episodes the show continued to tackle integration alongside its main role of teaching pre-school aged children to read and count: “Sesame Street understands pre-schoolers – from their reluctance to go to sleep to their overenthusiasm to their curiosity about the world. There remains an innocence to Sesame Street that is missing from other shows.” (Amatangelo 2016) ‘Sesame Street’ allowed for complicated issues, to be explained in a simple manner. With each generation, integration levels are seen to be improving. Teaching pre-school aged children important life skills such as racism and acceptance has helped for integration to become a more widely known term. It has also meant that black children in society were accepted from the young pre-school age by their peers.

“There remains an innocence to Sesame Street that is missing from other shows.” Amatangelo

/Sesame Maniac 2014 fig. 34


2.3.

EDUCATING CHILDREN /TV Guide 2018 fig. 35

The most well known being

S

esame Street was created to give pre-school aged children a solid educational understanding as well as to address larger social issues. Cooney identified issues that the show could address, the most well known being racism, autism, HIV and equality. These issues were addressed in the show by showing how the multicultural cast accepted one another for who they were and not for the colour of their skin or their disability. By introducing a character who had autism (Fig. 35) and also a character who was HIV positive (Fig. 36) it was seen that

racism, autism, HIV ‘Sesame Street’ was having a positive impact on children, teaching them to accept people for who they were. ‘Sesame Street’ was changing the country and should be praised for it as “if racial peace and harmony ever visit this country, Sesame Street may be one of the reasons why” (Brown 1969).


Today, viewers of ‘Sesame Street’ live in a world where diversity, equality and acceptance are seen as normal to them. The scenes on ‘Sesame Street’ are authentic to them – children now have a range of different classmates from around the world, all members of a different religion. Messages taught through the media have proved to be successful and impacted viewers as Kulaszewicz (2015 p. 2) noticed: “Media messages impact our belief and value system.” It is no longer about teaching children about the issues that there were in the 1960’s but more about conquering them through the media, making sure that they are no longer issues. Racism is far from over in society. Until this is conquered, our belief and value systems will still see black people as the lesser race as Kulaszewicz (2015 p. 2) explains: “The research also recognizes “identifier” word patterns using “black” and “white”. The research offers a conclusion, that on average, “black” is used three times, more in the news reporting than “white”. The over usage of the word “black” becomes a racial micro-aggression because it can condition the mind to associate the word with negative connotation.”

If all people were accepted for who they are, no matter their race, religion or differences there would be no need for ‘Sesame Street’ to raise these issues. The show must now aim to continue to conquer the stigma. Franklin’s introduction in ‘Peanuts’ started a trend by taking something that was rarely talked about and presenting it to the country in the mass media. ‘Sesame Street’ has continued this trend and has used it to tackle more issues than it would have been possible to in ‘Peanuts’. The show continues to tackle these issues in an authentic way, making children aware that they are going on around them in their day-to-day life. ‘Sesame Street’ has continued to play a huge part in shaping the attitudes of American citizens. It is still educating and changing perceptions of children all around the world from a young age and will continue to do so. Every day there is a new issue in the world and ‘Sesame Street’ has learnt to adapt to this. The show continues in showcasing current issues and educating the young population on what they should know about them.

“Over usage of the word “black” becomes a racial micro-agression” Kulaszewicz

/Sesame Street 2017 fig. 36


part 3

Even though blacks

/Hoepker 1983 fig. 37


are gaining greater access to neighborhoods it is largely a short-term phenomenon.� (Friedman 2008 p. 930)


/TEN30 Studios 2016 fig. 38


Racial Integration in the Present Day The topic of mass media influencing integration within America is one that cannot be argued with. What can be argued however, is whether it is having a positive influence on integration levels. Day (2009 p. 20) explains, “American values make us assume that race determines human trade capacities and that white people are inherently superior to people of color”. If these values still exist it could be argued that the media is having a negative influence on the matter. It has now been 50 years since Franklin’s debut in ‘Peanuts’, an action that is still seen as revolutionary in the American comic strip industry.

However, the question still needs to be raised about whether there has been a monumental change in integration levels in America since this time. Part 3 (Racial Integration in the Present Day) will focus on the following questions: Was Franklin a contributing factor in shaping attitudes towards racial integration in America? Did Franklin’s creation start a trend? Making more media platforms in America square-up to the subject of racial integration (Fig. 38). Were these platforms successful in creating awareness and making racial integration a reality?

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3.1.

DIFFERENCES IN INTEGRATION /Glickman 2018 fig. 39

Comic strips were designed for everyone

I

n America’s 20th Century, comic strips were designed for everyone regardless of their age, race or sex as Schulz (2010 p. 85) explained, “when I was growing up, the three main forms of entertainment were the Saturday afternoon serials at the movie houses, the late afternoon radio programs, and the comic strips”. However, although this was the case comic strips were generally branded towards the white population.

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regardless of their age,

Schulz and ‘Peanuts’ had the ability to change this. It was not until the creation of Franklin (Fig. 39) that people of colour were made to feel a part of the industry. In some sense they were able to feel accepted within America, going on to show how influential the media was:

Franklin quickly became a phenomenon in ‘Peanuts’ featuring in television specials (Fig. 40 and 41), movies, products, etc. The first black character to feature in a comic strip went from being an outsider to a well-respected and loved member as Eilersten (2018) explains:

“The media’s the most powerful entity on earth. They have the power to make the innocent guilty and to make the guilty innocent, and that’s power. Because they control the minds of the masses.” Malcolm X (cited in King 2010 pg. 199)

“He didn’t have a big personality, but was a quiet, sweet, smart kid, and everybody loved him.”


/Schulz 1973a fig. 40

race or sex /Schulz 1973b fig. 41

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Franklin was known across all media platforms, promoting the subject of integration and making more people aware that something had to be done to include the black population. Franklin went on to inspire different media platforms to approach the subject of integration within the media and it subsequently became more frequent. In November 1968 – a mere four months after Franklin’s introduction we witnessed the first interracial kiss (Fig. 42) to be shown on American television in Star Trek’s “Plato’s Stepchildren”. Then in November 1969, ‘Sesame Street’ hit our screens. At first, people were sceptical of the show. Asking if it would really teach them social issues alongside teaching them to read and count. However, it seemed to work: “That trailblazing decision marks just one of the series’ many groundbreaking moments. ‘Sesame Street’ seems to have always embraced diversity and inclusion by having its Muppets and their human friends discuss important issues and reflect people kids actually see day to day.” (Pittman 2017) With 50 years now having passed since Franklin’s debut, it could be said that his introduction inspired television shows such as ‘Sesame Street’ to fight for integration in the country. Similarly, we can argue that ‘Sesame Street’ and its stand on our television screens was successful in shaping attitudes on not just integration but race, disability and acceptance too (Fig. 43 and 44). /Star Trek 1968 fig. 42

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‘Sesame Street’ seems to have always embraced diversity and inclusion”

Pittman


/Jim Henson Archive 1969 fig. 43

Comic strips and television have participated in the development of integration If both ‘Peanuts’ and ‘Sesame Street’ increased the amount of integration in America by highlighting the surrounding issues, does this mean that segregation is no longer an issue in the country? Can more still be done to combat the problem and raise awareness that there is still segregation within many American cities - 50 years on

from the Civil Rights Movement? Media including comic strips and television have participated in the development of integration in the country, but can more still be done? Will segregation ever be shown in the same light as it was shown back in the 60’s or will today’s media continue to brush over it?

/Today 2018 fig. 44

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3.2.

PERMANENT FIXTURES /Watson 2015 fig. 45

A

s seen, Franklin and ‘Sesame Street’ are still a huge part of society today. They are still of interest to people around the world as Glickman (2018) (Fig. 45) explains that she is, “always stunned by the amount of interest still stirring about the story. I can’t tell you how many black adults in their late fifties have told me what it meant to them to see themselves in the comics”. In 2018, the Schulz museum launched an exhibition celebrating ‘50 years of Franklin’. Franklin over time became an iconic member of

52

the ‘Peanuts’ gang and the aim of the exhibition was to show how his character developed in the strip and how the country developed with him. However, a dilemma has emerged. Within America it seems that there is still so much more to be done in relation to integration as Eilertsen (2018) explains whilst speaking about the exhibition: “Things haven’t changed enough, that’s one reason we decided to do this. To say, look at how far we’ve come, and what can we do about it?”


It is noted that legal integration was developed in the US more than 50 years ago. “But in many parts of the country, Americans of different races aren’t neighbours – they don’t go to the same schools, they don’t shop at the same stores, and they don’t always have access to the same services” (Vaidyanathan 2016). The issue of integration is still high on the country’s agenda and needs to be addressed. There are still parts of the country where black people just do not mix with white people, not through choice but down to circumstances – such as ‘white flight’ – that have developed since the Civil Rights Movement. Data released by the Brookings Institution shows that whilst blackwhite segregation is declining, in some of the country’s biggest cities, it still remains higher than it should (Fig. 46): “If zero is a measure of perfect integration and 100 is complete segregation, analysis from Brookings showed most of the country’s largest metropolitan areas have segregation levels of between 50 to 70” (Vaidyanathan 2016). Similarly, Frey (2015) believes that “more than half of blacks would need to move to achieve complete integration.” Frey’s 2015 theory, although plausible, shows signs of segregation. It is clear that a majority of one race in America’s population would have to move neighbourhoods to achieve complete integration within the country; however why isn’t this theory being measured in the amount of whites that would have to do so? Some might argue that as the theory is focussing in on black people that he is correct to word it in this manner. Nevertheless, until black people are seen as the same as the rest of us these problems will still exist.

More than half of blacks would need to move to achieve complete integration.” Frey

/Frey 2015 fig. 46

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end

I have a new philosophy.

/Schulz 2015 fig. 47


I’m only going to dread one day at a time.� Charles Schulz (cited in Nelson 2005)


4.1.

ONE LAST ONE [Charles Schulz passed on February 12, 2000. The final ‘Peanuts’ comic strip was released the next day]

/Schulz 2000a fig. 48

I

n the beginning, there was no one quite like Franklin. He was the same as all of the other ‘Peanuts’ characters but different at the same time. Black people are no different to us white people, they may look different, but we are all the same and Schulz made this clear when integrating him into the ‘Peanuts’ gang.

Writing this paper was a challenging task: ingathering the relevant imagery required a thorough search through databases and relevant journals and books, whilst analysing this imagery required not only a knowledge in visual communication but also in America’s Civil Rights Movement and the country’s media from the 60’s to the present day. Needless to say, I have not only accumulated information since October but I have also educated myself on the subject. Throughout the years we have observed segregation moving towards integration in America. Following a timeline of events that have happened since early 1968, these have helped us to foresee what actions have been taken to integrate black people into not just comic strips, television shows or films but society too.

56


It started with a letter from Glickman, written with the hope that something could be done “to help change those conditions in our society which led to the assassination” (Glickman 1968). Even if at first Franklin wasn’t quite sure of Brown’s neighbourhood, he made his mark on ‘Peanuts’ and distinguished his place within the strip. Franklin went on to develop his own personality – as much as black people may argue – as well as his own visual language. In order to promote integration, Franklin then became a frequent character in the strip, helping for the subject of the matter to be raised, making more industries ask themselves what part could they play in promoting integration in America? (Part 1). The film and television industries soon realised the need for showing integration on screen and the potential it had to make more people accepting of black people. The creation of ‘Sesame Street’ helped to show how integrated neighbourhoods could learn to accept one another and also managed to teach children from a young age about the importance of integration and acceptance (Part 2). Though it has now been 50 years since the debut of Franklin and ‘Sesame Street’, there is still more to be done regarding integration. America is still seen as a divided nation and it could be argued - has it really changed in the past 50 years? We are in 2019 and have only seen one black President. It is known that there are still black neighbourhoods and white neighbourhoods. Black schools and white schools. Glickman wants people to look at the ‘50 Years of Franklin’ exhibition in today’s context. To make people realise what has been done and what still needs to be done and the truth on the matter is that there’s still much that has to be done (Part 3).

/Schulz 2000b fig. 49

I have argued that Franklin has helped to shape the attitudes of American citizens regarding integration. As seen, Franklin played a huge part in allowing black people to be integrated into film and television in America. Both Franklin and ‘Sesame Street’ followed a similar pattern through their evolution: they dealt with criticism, educated the younger generations and are still widely known today. In my opinion, Franklin was one of the first contributing factors which helped to shape attitudes to racial integration in America. Inspiring different industries to join his fight, and although more can still be done, we can now consider America to be an integrated country today – something that may not have been possible without the introduction of his character in 1968. “Most of us live with the idea that those who shape and mold ideas and images…those who sit in the culture-shaping seats of this nation, are, somehow, unreachable. I tested this by simply writing a letter to Mr. Schulz. Because he is a man capable of accepting new ideas, he responded. This is no earth-shaking revelation nor is it a monumental contribution to the continuation of the species, but it takes a lot of minor tremors to really shake this earth. On my kitchen wall is a framed copy of the strip introducing ‘Franklin’. It says, “For Harriet Glickman with much appreciation” and it’s signed, Charles M. Schulz. It helps remind me of the need for more tremors” (Glickman 1971).

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GABBATT, A., 2017. Sesame Street Introduced Muppet with Autism to Teach Children About Disorder. [online]. London: The Guardian. Available from: https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2017/mar/20/ sesame-street-autism-muppet-julia [Accessed 22 November 2018] GERTLER, N., 2010. The Peanuts Collection: Treasures from the World’s Most Beloved Comic Strip. London: New Holland. GLICKMAN, H., 2018. The Story of Franklin. Unpublished Timeline of Events. Sherman Oaks, California. GOCOMICS, 2018. Peanuts by Charles Schulz. [online]. Kansas City: GoComics. Available from: https://www.gocomics.com/ peanuts/1993/01/18 [Accessed 13 November 2018] It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown, 1966. [TV Special]. Directed by Bill Menendez. Burlingame: Lee Mendelson Films. JANDOS, R., 2007. Designing magazines: inside periodical design. New York, NY: Allworth Press. KAHRL, A., 2018. Free the Beaches: The Story of Ned Coll and the Battle for America’s Most Exclusive Shoreline. London: Yale University Press. KAMP, D., 2018. Guess Who’s Coming to Peanuts. [online]. New York: The New York Times. Available from: https://www.nytimes. com/2018/01/13/opinion/sunday/peanuts-franklin-charlie-brown.html [Accessed 15 October 2018] KIDD, C., 2015. Only What’s Necessary: Charles M. Schulz and the Art of Peanuts. New York: Abrams. KING, J., 2010. The Awakening of Global Consciousness: A Guide to SelfRealization and Spirituality. Bloomington: AuthorHouse. KISHOR, V., 2015. Inspiring Thoughts of Great Educational Thinkers. Pune: Amitesh. KULASZEWICZ, K., 2015. Racism and the Media: A Textual Analysis. Unpublished Clinical Research Paper. St. Catherine University, Minnesota. MAIR, L., 2018. Harvard References. [lecture]. Contextual and Critical Studies. The Robert Gordon University, Department of Communication Design, Aberdeen Business School, room ABS222, 17 October 2018. MARQUEZ, H., 2018. We Love You, Franklin, But We Just Don’t Like You Anymore. [online]. Mexico City: Cultura Colectiva. Available from: https:// culturacolectiva.com/history/franklin-armstrong-peanuts-characterturns-50 [Accessed 15 October 2018] MEI, D., 2017. The Design of Newspapers: Why The News Industry is Changing. [online]. Berlin: Medium. Available from: https://medium.com/ mobile-lifestyle/the-design-of-newspapers-why-the-news-industry-ischanging-aa60b55814a8 [Accessed 6 January 2019] NELSON, T., 2005. What Really Counts: Your Guide to Discovering What’s Most Important in Life and Letting Go of the Rest. Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers. NEWMAN, M., 2010. New Media, Young Audiences and Discourses of Attention: from Sesame Street to ‘Snack Culture. Media Culture and Society, 32 (4), pp. 581-596


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VAIDYANATHAN, R., 2016. Why Don’t Black and White Americans Live Together?. [online]. London: BBC. Available from: https://www.bbc. co.uk/news/world-us-canada-35255835 [Accessed 23 November 2018]

OULLETTE, L., 2012. Viewers Like You: How Public TV Failed the People. New York: Columbia University Press.

WONG, K., 2018. Franklin Broke Peanuts’ Color Barrier In The Least Interesting Way Possible. [online]. New York: Kotaku. Available from: https://kotaku.com/franklin-broke-peanuts-color-barrier-in-the-leastinter-1793843085 [Accessed 21 October 2018]

PITTMAN, T., 2017. 11 Moments on ‘Sesame Street’ that Championed Diversity and Inclusion. [online]. New York: Huffington Post. Available from: https://www.huffingtonpost.ca/entry/moments-on-sesame-streetthat-championed-diversity-and-inclusion_us_58d5257ae4b03787d3576ba 9?guccounter=1&guce_referrer_us=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvb S8&guce_referrer_cs=f3yG40a1sekbXte7v0J48Q [Accessed 20 November 2018] POPOVA, M., 2015. Charles M. Schulz, Civil Rights, and the Previously Unseen Art of Peanuts. [online]. New York: Brain Pickings. Available from: https://www.brainpickings.org/2015/11/03/only-whatsnecessary-peanuts-chip-kidd/ [Accessed 28 November 2018] SCHULZ, C., 2009. The Complete Peanuts 1959-1960: Volume 5. Edinburgh: Canongate. SCHULZ, C., 2010. My Life with Charlie Brown. Jackson: University Press of Mississippi. SEIDENBAUM, A., 1969. All-White Funnies. Los Angeles Times, 7 April, pp. 20. SEMUELS, A., 2015. White Flight Never Ended. [online]. Boston: The Atlantic. Available from: https://www.theatlantic.com/business/ archive/2015/07/white-flight-alive-and-well/399980/ [Accessed 14 November 2018] SESAME MANIAC., 2014. Sesame Street – Racism Episode Part 1. [online]. San Bruno: YouTube. Available from: https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=ovoilDJethU&t=318s [Accessed 25 November 2018] SESAME MANIAC., 2014. Sesame Street – Racism Episode Part 2. [online]. San Bruno: YouTube. Available from: https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=RKsxwvhK_C8 [Accessed 25 November 2018] Sesame Street Presents: Follow That Bird, 1985. [film]. Directed by Ken Kwapis. New York: Children’s Television Workshop. SIRDOFSKY, D., 2018. Schulz Museum Exhibit Honors ‘Peanuts’ Comic Strip’s First African-America Character. [online]. Santa Rosa: The Press Democrat. Available from: https://www.pressdemocrat.com/ entertainment/7904632-181/exhibit-honors-peanuts-comic-strips [Accessed 26 October 2018] SPGOALS TV., 2010. Sesame Street – People in Your Neighborhood (1988 Pledge Drive Special). [online]. San Bruno: YouTube. Available from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dd9L_o_WLJY [Accessed 25 November 2018] THE CHARLES M. SCHULZ MUSEUM., 2014. Harriet Glickman Oral History. [online]. San Bruno: YouTube. Available from: https://www. youtube.com/watch?v=8MtZ3XoFQwI&t=3s [Accessed 3 October 2018].

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4.3. JOHNSON, R., 1995. Good Grief: The Story of Charles M. Schulz. Kansas City: Andrews McMeel Publishing.

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How did the introduction of Franklin in ‘Peanuts’ help to shape attitudes to racial integration in America? Student Bethany Galley Tutor Dr. Andrea Peach BA(Hons) Communication Design Gray’s School of Art Robert Gordon University 7689 Words


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