NAACP SUPPORTS PROTEST OF ANTI-ASIAN WEB CARTOON

Kweisi Mfume, President and CEO, The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) today announced support of the protest by the National Asian Pacific American Legal Consortium (NAPALC) and the Asian American Media Coalition of the web based cartoon "Mr. Wong" produced by Icebox.com. Mfume said, "The NAACP believes that any acts of bigotry, should not be tolerated.  The principal objective of this association is to ensure the political, educational, social and economic equality of minorities in the United States and eliminate race prejudice.The NAACP supports efforts to remove all barriers of racial discrimination against any minority group."

According to the NAPALC, since June 9, 2000 Icebox.com has been promoting the "Mr. Wong" cartoon which portrays Asian Pacific Americans in an offensive and tasteless manner. The chief character of the cartoon, "Mr. Wong" is portrayed as an 85-year-old hunchbacked Chinese houseboy in the service of a Caucasian socialite. Mr. Wong's exaggerated Asian features are clearly based on negative racial stereotypes.

Despite feedback from viewers who have registered their protest of the animation, Icebox.com CEO Steve Sanford has publicly stated his refusal to pull the cartoon off the web citing his website's content as an exercise in
artistic freedom. An intense letter writing campaign is underway to gain support in an effort to change Mr. Sanford's opinion and keep the "Mr. Wong" cartoon from entering the mainstream media.

Founded in 1909, The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) is the nation's oldest and largest civil rights organization. Its half-million adult and youth members throughout the United States and the world are the premier advocates for civil rights in their communities, conducting voter registration drives and monitoring equal opportunity in the public and private sectors.

CONTACT: NAACP Office of Communications 410.486.9227

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