"Little Black Sambo" Comes to Japanese Nursery School, Sparks Widespread Outrage Over Book Published in 1899

Little black Sambo comes to Japanese nursery-school. Reignites racism row over book written by Helen Bannerman and published in 1899.

 From the Japanese Times:

"Little Black Sambo, Sambo, Sambo/His face and hands are completely black/Even his butt is completely black."

Word of nursery-schoolers in Saitama Prefecture chanting a "Little Black Sambo" song — "akin to what might be taught by a white supremacist group" — spread online recently, prompting 21st century-style activism:

Facebook postings, blogosphere commotion, an online petition, CCed e-mails to Tokorozawa City Hall. In a phone call, a Midori Hoikuen nursery school employee admitted to having read and then re-enacted — with toddlers — the best-selling children's book "Little Black Sambo" (known here as "Chibikuro Sanbo"). The re-enactment's song lyrics, as printed above, were allegedly translated by a biracial child's concerned parent and then uploaded onto Facebook.

It should be noted that the Story of Little Black Sambo, was a children's book written by Helen Bannerman, a Scot living in India. It was first published in 1899. The cartoon has been banned from public display in the United States due to the racial nature of its content. So, without getting really ticked off about this, please, read the entire article and share your opinion on this really offensive portrayal.

Watch the Little Black Sambo video below. If this isn't a racist portrayal of blacks then I don't know what else is. It is rather shameful that this portrayal of blacks persists in Japan.