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In 1964, Roald Dahl introduced the world to the classic story of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Little did we know, however, that he made a significant change before releasing the book.
Charlie Bucket, who escaped poverty after receiving a golden ticket to meet chocolatier Willy Wonka, was initially written as an eleven-year-old Black boy.
Dahl’s agent was skeptical about printing a book featuring a Black main character, and ironically enough, Oompa Loompas weren’t always orange. In the book’s first edition, Dahl depicted them as African pygmies rescued by Willy Wonka from the “terrors” of their homeland to work in his factory.
It was giving white savior complex, and the NAACP wasn’t having that, so they fought it.
What would it have meant to have a Black Charlie in the 1960s amid the Civil Rights Movement? We know that representation in the media isn’t everything, but it does matter.
Director Ava Duvernay even tweeted about wanting to join in on a future movie adaptation.
Black children have always deserved to be seen, felt, and heard, and the images they witness influence how they see themselves. Like many, Roald Dahl gave in to anti-Blackness, but plenty of wonderful Black authors tell authentic stories about our people that we must share with our children.