I often grumble about the loss of letter writing. I miss that way of communicating. With most or all bills forwarded by email and paid by e-transfer these days, it hardly seems worthwhile walking to the mailbox. But that wasn’t always the case. On April 15, 1968, one simple letter helped create a gentle but significant and desperately needed change.
Days after Martin Luther King Jr was assassinated, a white elementary schoolteacher in Los Angeles wrote to Charles Schulz urging him to create a Black character in his Peanuts gang, so that children of colour could see themselves on the pages of his beloved comic strip.
Schulz was hesitant at first, not because he was against Harriet Glickman’s idea, but because he didn’t want to appear patronizing to the Black community. Harriet urged several Black parents she knew to also write to Schulz, which they did, convincing Schulz that Harriet’s idea was both important and a welcome one. Franklin made his debut appearance on July 31, 1968.
Schulz was subtle but made a powerful statement, with Charlie Brown and Franklin playing together on a beach when the madness of segregation was still very much alive in the United States. Schulz was met with pushback, but he held firm, telling his editor, “Either you print it just the way I draw it, or I quit!”
Schulz became a symbol of gentle but steady resistance to racial prejudice with a large following in mainstream media.
Schulz created Franklin Armstrong with a father who was serving in the Vietnam War. Franklin was a kind child and was happy to have Charlie Brown as his friend. Their friendship was built on mutual respect and gentle loyalty. Franklin never teased Charlie Brown as the other kids in the gang did. They engaged in co-operative play, not in conflict.
Franklin’s steady nature balanced Charlie Brown’s anxious one. They were natural friends with no mention of their difference in skin colour, with no lesson purposely created. Instead, Schulz made their friendship as easy and natural as any good friendship would be. Schulz showed integration and equality and cooperation without a lecture.
Schulz was saying, “This is how I believe people should treat each other.” Letters came in suggesting Franklin appear less often, that he be kept out of leadership roles, and shouldn’t be in scenes with white girls. Schulz refused to bend.
Franklin’s last appearance was Nov. 5, 1999, before Schulz’s death on Feb. 12, 2000. In 2024, Welcome Home, Franklin, a documentary aired on Apple TV on the origin story of Franklin, featuring Harriet Glickman.
Schulz had publicly acknowledged the significant role she played in his creating Franklin. Her decision to write one thoughtful letter in hopes of helping children learn a better way of being played a significant role in changing society.
The letters they exchanged are part of the documentary; it is a blend of history and animation as well as the personal stories behind creating Franklin and how Schulz came to give Franklin his last name. The film was released during Black History Month in 2024. It was co-created by the family of Charles Schulz and Robb Armstrong, Franklin’s namesake.
The Charles M. Schulz Museum is in Santa Rosa, Calif., and opened Aug. 17, 2002, two years after Schulz’s death. It celebrates the life and legacy of the Peanuts creator. Visitors gain deep insight into Schulz’s creative process and the details of the cultural impact of his work. The museum runs rotating animated films and provides classes and workshops for all ages. Most importantly, the museum continues Schulz’s work by celebrating what mattered to him: friendship, hope and humour, which readers were faithful to for the 50 years of his career.
Charles Schulz created 17,897 comic strips after launching “Peanuts” on Oct. 2, 1950. He created one of the most popular comic strips in history, published in 2,600 daily newspapers.
Franklin is representative of how small acts of inclusion can create change. Harriet Glickman and her letter were the catalyst for the creation of Franklin. Her courage, persistence and empathy helped Charles Schulz take that first historic step in American newspaper comics.
Without Harriet, Franklin would not have been created when he was and would not have helped create the change that he did. It begs the question: what role can each of us play in making the world just a little bit better?
