that made national news . One Southern editor even said , " I don ' t mind you having a black character , but please don ' t show them in school together ."
FRANKLIN
In 1968 , after the assassination of Dr . Martin Luther King Jr . and the country in turmoil and divided , a school teacher , Harriet Glickman , wrote to famed " Peanuts " cartoonist Charles Schulz and presented a simple idea to try to bring the country together .
Charles Schulz did not have to respond to her letter , he could have just completely ignored it , and everyone would have forgotten about it . But , Schulz did take the time to respond , saying he was intrigued with the idea , but felt that it may sound condescending to people of color .
Months later , a cartoon created by Schulz shows Charlie Brown meeting a new character named Franklin . Other than his color , Franklin was just an ordinary kid who befriends and helps Charlie Brown . Franklin also mentions that his father was " over at Vietnam ." At the end of the series , which lasted three strips , Charlie invites Franklin to spend the night one day so they can continue their friendship .
There was no big announcement , there was no big deal , it was just a natural conversation between two kids , whose obvious differences did not matter to them . And , the fact that Franklin ' s father was fighting for this country was also a very strong statement by Schulz .
It would eventually lead to a conversation between Schulz and the president of the comic ' s distribution company , who was concerned about the introduction of Franklin and how it might affect Schulz ' popularity . Many newspapers during that time had threatened to cut the strip .
Schulz ' response : " I remember telling Larry at the time about Franklin -- he wanted me to change it , and we talked about it for a long while on the phone , and I finally sighed and said , " Well , Larry , let ' s put it this way : Either you print it just the way I draw it or I quit . How ' s that ?"
Eventually , Franklin became a regular character in the comic strips , and , despite complaints , Franklin would be shown sitting in front of Peppermint Patty at school and playing center field on her baseball team . Franklin would make his first animated appearance in the 1973 special " A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving ." Another African-American character , Milo , would also later appear in the cartoon strip .
Franklyn , Peanuts Charlie Brown Dr . Martin Luther King Assassination Charles Schulz Sanford , Florida February 2016
Although Schulz never made a big deal over the inclusion ofFranklin , there were many fans , especially in the South , who were very upset by it and