Griffin Speaks

LITTLE BLACK SAMBO

A few months ago I was sitting in a local eatery on Fairview Avenue when I overheard an elderly woman refer to her new grandchild as a cute baby, but it looked like “little black Sambo”. It had been many years since I had heard anyone mention the young boy in the classic story written by Helen Bannerman. In fact I had never told my kids the story of “Little Black Sambo”. My kids were interested in J.K. Rowlings’, Harry Potter stories. 

When I arrived back home I decided to tell my kids the story. The Sambo story’s theme was: Be smart in the face of danger while remaining patient and clever in overcoming it. Do you remember the tale? 

Once upon a time there was a little black boy, and his name was little Black Sambo. And his mother was called Black Mumbo. And his father was called Black Jumbo. 

And Black Mumbo made him a beautiful little Red Coat, and a pair of beautiful little blue trousers. And Black Jumbo went to the Bazaar, and bought him a beautiful Green Umbrella, and a lovely little pair of purple shoes with Crimson Soles and Crimson Linings. 

And then wasn’t Little Black Sambo grand? So he put on all his fine clothes, and went out for a walk in the jungle. And by and by he met a Tiger. And the Tiger said to him.” Little Black Sambo, I’m going to eat you up!” And Sambo would say, “Oh! Please Mr. Tiger, don’t eat me up, and I’ll give you my beautiful little red coat.” Each tiger that Sambo encounters forces him to give up his fine clothes so that it could be the grandest Tiger in the Jungle. Eventually little Black Sambo was buck-naked. 

He heard a terrible noise and realized that all of the Tigers had returned to eat him up. He ran and hid behind a palm-tree. He peeped round the tree and saw all of the Tigers fighting, and disputing which of them was the grandest. And at last they all got so angry that they jumped up and took off all the fine clothes, and began to tear each other with their claws and teeth… 

Little Black Sambo boldly confronts them, “Oh Tigers! Why have you taken off all your nice clothes? Don’t you want them anymore? Too busy with grabbing each other’s tails, the ferocious tigers rush faster and faster around the tree until they turn to butter.

Now Black Jumbo was just coming home from work, with a big brass pot in his arms, and when he saw what was left of all the Tigers he said, “Oh! what lovely melted butter! I’ll take that home to Black Mumbo for her to cook with.” 

Black Mumbo made pancakes. Little Black Sambo was so hungry he ate Sixty-nine. The End 

For many African-Americans growing up in the first half of the Twentieth Century, Sambo was often the first black child they encountered in picture books. The story was fine but it was the picture of Little Black Sambo that many believe was outrageously racist. He was illustrated as having super thick lips, fuzzy nappy hair with bulging eyeballs, a portrait which incorporated every visual stereotype and exaggerated caricature of a black child through the eyes of whites. 

My dad said for someone to call you “Black Sambo” was a dangerous thing. He also loved the story but hated the image. A new Little Black Sambo book illustrated by Christopher Bing has hit the bookstores. It is my understanding that Christopher Bing loved the Sambo Story as a child and was encouraged by Dr. Henry Louis Gates, Chair of the Afro-American Studies at Harvard to bring his visual perspective to the story. Christopher Bing portrays Little Black Sambo as a “glorious and confident” African child.

Greg Griffin is a free lance writer. You can read his previous articles by visiting his web page at www.greggriffin.com  

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