"Protest Chibikuro Sambo" Support

The staff of the Jim Crow Museum receives dozens of letters and emails. Some of these communiques offer insight into race relations -- historically and in the present. While some are hateful, we have decided to share some of these letters and emails with our Internet visitors.

My name is Takeyah Young. I currently live in Japan. A few months ago, I started a petition against the Zuiunsha Publishing Company's (Tokyo, Japan) re-release of "Chibikuro Sambo" [Little Black Sambo]. The Jim Crow Museum of Racist Imagery website has been helpful in helping people understand racist imagery and history (we've placed a link on our weblog site: http://protestchibikurosambo.blogspot.com). I would like to take this time to thank you for your contributions as a sociologist and as the curator of the Jim Crow Museum of Racist Imagery.

The "Protest Chibikuro Sambo" petition has generated some interest however we are still seeking more support. Here's an excerpt of the letter:

"...It is with great concern we learned that Zuiunsha Publishing Company (Tokyo, Japan) re-released "Chibikuro Sambo" [Little Black Sambo] on April 15, 2005. We strongly disagree with the publishing and marketing of this book. Chibikuro Sambo is a book that carries anti-Black overtones ... The images are caricatures and an insult to people of African descent in Japan and throughout the world...."

The April 15, 2005 publishing and release of Chibikuro Sambo is evidence of the sentiment toward the black race and perpetuates ignorance in Japan. In light of this situation, we are requesting your support. The petition letter, written in Japanese and English, can be found at http://www.petitiononline.com/4NoSambo. The petition was sent (at 257 signatures) to Mr. Tomio Inoue, President of Zuiunsha, in April 2005 in electronic format. We are still collecting signatures and we intend to send the petition in electronic and paper format in July. The petition asks that Zuiunsha stop publishing and marketing "Chibikuro Sambo". For updates on our "Protest Chibikuro Sambo" efforts, please visit http://protestchibikurosambo.blogspot.com.

mumbo We hope that you will lend your support to this effort by forwarding the petition information to supportive parties. Please feel free to contact me with any comments or questions. Thank you for your time and effort.

Sincerely,

Takeyah Young
Protest Chibikuro Sambo -- July 4, 2005

***The staff of the Jim Crow Museum receives dozens of letters and emails. Some of these communiques offer insight into race relations -- historically and in the present. While some are hateful, we have decided to share some of these letters and emails with our Internet visitors.***

Contact

Jim Crow Museum

The staff of the Jim Crow Museum receives dozens of letters and emails. Some of these communiques offer insight into race relations -- historically and in the present. While some are hateful, we have decided to share some of these letters and emails with our Internet visitors.