The Saga of Huey Freeman -- ep. by Howard Rambsy II

A brief take on Huey Freeman, the sharp-tongued, afro-wearing 10-year-old from The Boondocks, whose biting critiques of society made him a highly visible (fictive) Black militant.

Script by Howard Rambsy II
Read by Kassandra Timm

Transcript

He rocks an afro. He speaks truth to power. He never, ever smiles. He reads Black radical books. His scorching hot critiques unsettle people. 

 Oh, and by the way, this ten-year-old is a character in a comic strip called The Boondocks. And once upon a time, he was arguably one of the most visible Black militants in America. 

 You’re listening to Remarkable Receptions, a podcast about popular and critical responses to Black artistic productions and more. 

 The Boondocks began appearing in newspapers across the nation in April 1999. Its creator, Aaron McGruder, wanted to make a humorous comic strip about two African American brothers, Huey and Riley Freeman, who had just moved to a mostly white suburb.

 But beyond humor, McGruder sought to offer biting racial critiques and social commentary. His most pointed critiques came from the perspective of his 10-year-old protagonist, Huey Freeman—named after the Black Panther Huey Newton, with "Freeman" symbolizing the idea of a free man.

 Huey regularly pointed out the absurdity of being a conscious, highly intelligent Black boy in a largely white world. His observations were sharp and funny, and it was rare to see an African American comic strip character in newspapers across the country offer such relentless critiques of white society.

 Huey didn’t just criticize white people, though. He often called out troubling portrayals of Black people by Black people, frequently questioning the demeaning representations on BET and in hip hop culture.

 McGruder, and especially Huey’s comments, stirred controversy. Letters to the editor in the Chicago Tribune were particularly notable, with readers calling Huey offensive and mean-spirited toward white people.  

 Yet the backlash only emboldened McGruder. He doubled down, continuing to use his comic strip to offer humorous, cutting commentary. New strips in the series ceased in 2006. Throughout the run, McGruder made sure that his ten-year-old protagonist kept his Black militant ways alive.

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This episode was written by Howard Rambsy. The episode was edited by Elizabeth Cali. 

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This podcast, Remarkable Receptions, is part of the Black Literature Network, a joint project from African American literary studies at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville and the History of Black Writing at the University of Kansas. The project was made possible by the generous support of the Mellon Foundation.  For more information, visit blacklitnetwork.org.