![]() ![]() The book’s artwork gives some insight into the depiction of black people and the negative stereotypes that were perpetuated by the use of this word and the associated images. The fourth book in a series known as Dumpy Books For Children, it became a children’s favourite for decades and was quickly followed by a range of children’s toys, including a dart gun target. The Story of Little Black Sambo was written by Helen Bannerman and published in 1899. ![]() ‘For the Hausa of western Africa it was a name of dignity, meaning ”name of a spirit” and ”second son in the family” but in the language of the Mende, also of western Africa, it was a verb meaning ”to disgrace” or ”to be shameful.” English slave traders probably also adopted ”Sambo” as a form of the Hispanic slavers’ insulting term ”zambo,” meaning ”of mixed blood,” ”bow-legged” or ”monkey.”’įrom this Boskin determines that Sambo was considered a jester, expected to perform with a wide grin, a dance and always eager to please. The fact that it merited such a detailed study gives an indication as to its prevalence in society. In 1980 Joseph Boskin, a professor of history and Afro-American studies at Boston University, released the book SAMBO: The Rise & Demise of an American Jester, which examined the history and meaning behind the word. The word emerged in the early eighteenth century as a term of derision. The second being historical: a person of mixed race, especially of black and Indian, or black and European heritage. The first being an offensive way to describe a black person. So, how did this happen, and in this day and age is it still ok to refer to sandwiches as sambos or should we reconsider? Where Does The Word Come From?Īccording to the Oxford English Dictionary Sambo is a noun with two meanings. When you stop and think about it, it is very strange that a racist term, with its roots in transatlantic slavery, is now used to describe sandwiches. There are many stories of Irish people asking for a sambo in London and being looked at with complete confusion. The word ‘sambo’ is an old – fashioned racist term that in most other countries is completely unacceptable to use. ![]() In Ireland this doesn’t raise an eyebrow but for people from other countries it is a really strange thing to see. It’s common in Ireland to see a sign saying ‘soup and sambo offer’ or ‘tea and sambo’. ![]()
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