MEXICO CITY and WASHINGTON, June 30, 2005
Mexico Denies Stamps Are Racist
Black Comic Book Character Resembles Racial Stereotype
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Play CBS Video Video Mexican Stamps Offend There's another cross-border flap between the U.S. and Mexico about race. The White House criticized Mexico for a postage stamp featuring a black cartoon character, Bill Whitaker reports.
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Three of the five Memin Pinguin stamps (AP)
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Fast Facts Mexico Learn about the people, economy and history.
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Interactive Civil Rights In America A look back at the key people and events of the civil rights movement.
The country's postal service this week released a series of five stamps depicting "Memin Pinguin," a child's character from a comic book started in the 1945 that is still published in Mexico.
In Washington, the White House objected, saying that "racial stereotypes are offensive no matter what their origin." The Rev. Jesse Jackson branded the stamp "an insult" and asked Mexico to withdraw it from the market.
Withdrawing the stamps would probably make them more desirable to collectors and increase their value, say U.S. collectors.
But Ruben Aguilar, a spokesman for President Vicente Fox, said the comic book has promoted understanding and family values for decades and deserved to be enshrined on a stamp.
"It seems strange to me that this celebration of Mexican culture and Mexico's post office's toast to Mexican cartoonists is misunderstood," he said.
©MMV CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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