Happy Franklin Day: First Black 'Peanuts' Character Honored

Today marks an important, yet unknown milestone for African American representation in entertainment. On this date 47 years ago, the PEANUTS comic strip welcomed Franklin Armstrong among its ranks.

Following the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr., a school teacher named Harriet Glickman wrote a letter to PEANUTS creator Charles M. Schulz, beseeching him to add a black character to the comic. Franklin appeared on July 31, 1968, symbolically highlighting the importance of desegregation at a tumultuous time for race relations in the United States.

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FOR SUBSCRIBERSAmerican passenger drafted goodbye texts to her family as Flydubai plane plummeted

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCornell rape allegation pushes embattled New York prosecutor into national spotlight

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAbdul El-Sayed tries to woo MAHA voters as Democrats seek inroads with RFK’s supporters

FOR SUBSCRIBERSKratom-like substances are popping up in a typically benign supplement

FOR SUBSCRIBERSGOP super PAC increases its spending for Sen. Jon Husted in tough Ohio race

FOR SUBSCRIBERSRecords reveal tumultuous marriage between slain New York Times executive and wife

FOR SUBSCRIBERSFrom clean energy warrior to ‘wall of shame,’ James Talarico reverses on a fossil fuel money pledge

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCongressional staff planned official trip with luxury stops in Italy and France weeks before election

FOR SUBSCRIBERSA harrowing ordeal aboard an Israel-bound plane

FOR SUBSCRIBERSOpenAI CEO Sam Altman to skip congressional hearing on rogue AI agents

FOR SUBSCRIBERSKey DOJ lawyers departed Trump ‘grand conspiracy’ probe amid pressure to produce, source says

FOR SUBSCRIBERSTrump’s new AI chatbot often links to a site launched under Clinton 26 years ago

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAt MAHA summit, industry CEOs the movement once vilified take the stage

FOR SUBSCRIBERSThis Paralympian has two goals: Win medals and give away $500,000 to her teammates

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCornell rape allegation spotlights stringent New York state laws that have long drawn criticism

Franklin isn’t just a supplementary character to the series. When he isn’t break dancing his heart away or practicing ice hockey, he’s playing the most important role of Charlie Brown’s best friend!

PEANUTS celebrates this milestone today with the #FranklinDay social media initiative, as they look to spread awareness about the character. Franklin’s origin is yet another reminder of the countless ways that African Americans have influenced entertainment.

Happy #FranklinDay!