With all due respect, the cartoon on the back of the Feb. 19 edition of The Daily Orange is appalling. I will give The D.O. editing staff the benefit of the doubt and assume that the undeniable likeness of the figure in Christopher Holmes’ cartoon to historical black caricatures – minstrel characters, black face and the like – is unintentional. It would seem that no editing staff in full knowledge of the implications of this sort of depiction would ever consciously publish something so inflammatory.

What is not clear to me is how this oversight took place.

The characters to which I am referring are part of a hyper-racist popular depiction of blacks during the 19th and early 20th centuries. These characters were meant to debase and dehumanize African Americans by over-exaggerating physical features to the point at which they were no longer recognizable as human. They appeared as stage characters, cartoon depictions (particularly in racist editorials in newspapers) and through a range of other media.

The character in Holmes’ cartoon bears a disturbing resemblance to these ‘black face’ depictions.

Again, I give you the benefit of the doubt. Considering the recent controversy over a New York Daily Post cartoon, one would think that The D.O. editorial staff would give special consideration to its cartoons. Alas, you are busy with many matters, I’m sure, so it is understandable that oversights occur. However, I would strongly urge you to look into the unconscious message behind this particular cartoon so that you may engage in a more rigorous and thoughtful critique of your future cartoons.

James Livengood

Senior History and African American Studies Major

Published on February 22, 2009 at 12:00 pm