[stylin19a]

...for seating its only black character, Franklin, alone on one side of the holiday table while all other white friends were seated on the other side.

not quite...except the two seated at the head and the foot of the table.

[ETL]

for seating its only black character, Franklin, alone on one side of the holiday table while all other white friends were seated on the other side.

Everyone can look him in the face as they eat. If they were in any way displeased by his presence at the dinner table, they wouldn't want to look at him as they ate. They would sit on the same side of the table, or somewhere else entirely where they wouldn't have to look at him.