[DeFault User]

I had this book when I was a kid. Is "black" now a racist word? Here is a description of "Little Black Sambo" from Amazon.com.

Book Description
The jolly and exciting tale of the little boy who lost his red coat and his blue trousers and his purple shoes but who was saved from the tigers to eat 169 pancakes for his supper, has been universally loved by generations of children. First written in 1899, the story has become a childhood classic and the authorized American edition with the original drawings by the author has sold hundreds of thousands of copies.

Little Black Sambo is a book that speaks the common language of all nations, and has added more to the joy of little children than perhaps any other story. They love to hear it again and again; to read it to themselves; to act it out in their play.

Synopsis
A little boy in India loses his fine new clothes to the tigers, but while they dispute who is the grandest tiger in the jungle he takes his fine clothes back again.

[Ciexyz]

I remember that story from grade school. Never thought it was racist. In fact, it was considered racially inclusive at the time.

But then, in the fifties we had candies called "Nigger babies" -- how un-PC!

[speekinout]

When I was a kid, we got a black cocker spaniel puppy. He was registered as "Little Black Sambo". My mother said we couldn't use that name, so we called him "Sammy".
I liked the story, so I really didn't know why we had to change the name. Now I know - if some people aren't educated enough to know what the reference means, then none of us can use it.

Like we can't use the word "niggardly" anymore.