The Honorable Vicente Fox Quesada
President of Mexico
C/O Embassy of Mexico
1911 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW,
Washington DC 20006

Re: Memin Pinguin Stamps

Dear President Fox:

Given the rich heritage and history of Mexicans of African descent apparent in the art, culture and literature of Mexico, it is with a mixture of disappointment and anger that we, the undersigned, are writing to express our dismay at the issuance of the commemorative Memin Pinguin stamps. Copies of the stamp were widely circulated on the Internet, and were met with a wave of disbelief and anger in both Mexico and the United States. Despite the apparent popularity of this cartoon caricature among many in your country, the placement of a demeaning image on an official government stamp that will circulate throughout the world, where Memin is a stranger, is another matter - the stamp perpetuates negative stereotypes about people of African descent. The release of these stamps, along with previous statements about African Americans, led many to perceive your government as being hostile to people of African descent.

People of African descent are part of both United States and Mexican history. As early as 1539, Juan Pablos set up the first new world printing press and his apprentices were Africans. History, and a statue in Veracruz, record that Mexicans, led by folk hero Yanga, helped thousands of Black people escape from slavery. The founders of Los Angeles, now California's largest city, included Mexicans of African ancestry. It is very clear that the African presence remains prevalent in the rituals, rites of passage, music, art, language - and skin color - of many of Mexican heritage on both sides of the Rio Grande. The stamp, unfortunately, belied and belittled this rich history.

Thus, we appreciate the decision of the Mexican Postal Service not to reissue the stamp, now that its initial printing has been exhausted. We are glad you heard the voices of the millions of people who work throughout the global community to promote equality by eradicating demeaning stereotypes.

We, the undersigned, respectfully request a meeting with the Honorable Carlos de Icaza, Ambassador to the United States of America to address the issues we have raised. We are continuing to educate ourselves about Mexicans of African heritage and the intellectual, cultural, creative and economic wealth that is generated by these people whose contributions and humanity are too often obliterated by the kind of derogatory stereotypes represented in the Memin Pinguin stamps. We will share the documentation we have gathered with the Ambassador when we meet with him.

We also believe the discussion generated by this stamp between citizens of both our countries has been positive and can help bridge historic racial and ethnic divides.

Sincerely,

Larry Adelman, San Francisco, California
Opal Palmer Adisa, Oakland, California
Elvira R. Arriola
Jennifer Bell, Oakland, California
Andrea Bizzell, Novato, California
Black Women Stirring the Waters, San Francisco, California
Helen Ann Bladholm, Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin
Julian Bond
Enomwoyi Booker
Cristogianni Borsella, New York
Cecilia Brennan, San Jose, California
Meg Brizzolara
Bobbie Brooks
Joe Brooks, Oakland, California
Julienne Brown, Oakland, California
Winnifred Brown-Glaude, Lawrenceville, New Jersey
Regina F. Burch, Columbus Ohio
California Teachers Association
California Women's Agenda, San Francisco, California
Aileen Clarke Hernandez, San Francisco, California
Coalition for Economic Equity, San Francisco, California
Marcella H. Conley, Oakland, California
Frank Rudy Cooper
Paul Cooper
Shukuru Copeland
Dr. Ruth Cossey
Discrimination Research Center
Phyllid Dupret
Elena Featherston & Associates
Equal Justice Society
Jimi L. Evins, Oakland, California
Abigail Fleishman
Vikki Frazier-Watkins
Robin Galas
Gary Greenfield, Oakland, California
Everardo Gutierrez Rivera, Oxnard, California
Florence E. Hochman, San Francisco, California
Paula Hopson-Stanley
Jean Ishibashi
Craig L. Jackson, Houston, Texas
Reverend Jesse Jackson
T. C. Jefferson
Jewish Community Relations Council, San Francisco, California
Chastity Johnson
Van Jones, Oakland, California
Kate Kendell, Director, National Center for Lesbian Rights, San Francisco, California
Gloria A. Kennard, Oakland, California
Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights of Bay Area, San Francisco, California
Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, Washington, DC
Lydia M. Lewis, Houston, Texas
Roslyn C. Lieb, Oak Park, Illinois
Gladys Limòn, Oxnard, California
Rev. Dennis Malone, San Diego, California
Lilian Miwa Maher-Escobosa
Dorothy G. Manley, Gary, Indiana
Elizabeth "Betita" Martinez, Berkeley, California
Rev. Diana McDaniel, San Leandro, California
Dr. Darleana McHenry
Hector E. Mendez, Executive Director, La Familia Counseling Service, Hayward California
Dorinda Moreno, Hitec Aztec Communications, Santa Maria, California
Brenda Morgan
Monique W.Morris, Oakland, California
Daphne Muse
Leonard A. Muse
National Latina/o Law Students Association
Dr. Rael Nidess, Marshall, Texas
Margo Okazawa-Rey
Yosufu Olajide Shangoshola
Claudia Parham, Burlington, Iowa
Eva Jefferson Paterson
Jessuina Perez-Teran
Hector Javier Preciado
Public Advocates, Inc., San Francisco, California
Jennifer Rakowski, San Francisco, California
Celina H. Ramirez
Rima Ransom Ayele
Robyn J. Rhymes, Montgomery, Alabama
Kathleen Rice, Ph.D., Oakland, California
Robert Robinson, Doraville, Georgia
William S. Robinson, Columbia, South Carolina
Michael Roosevelt, San Francisco, California
Joy Rucker, Oakland, California
Margaret Russell, Santa Clara, California
Tanya Russell, Oakland, California
Archana Sahgal, San Francisco, California
Carolina Sarmiento, Presidenta, Centro Cultural de Mexico en el Condado de Orange
Susan Schweik
Erich Shiners, Elk Grove, California
Linda D. Sims
Kathy Sloan
Noemi Sohn
Anthony Solana, Jr., East Los Angeles, California
Karen Spence, Cambridge, Massachusetts
Robert L. Stenhouse, San Ramon, California
Cheryl A. Stevens, Oakland, California
M.E. Stephens, San Diego, California
Ellen Swartz, Rochester, New York
Kimberly Thomas Rapp
Mario Torero, San Diego, California
Sarah Treuhaft, Oakland, California
Manuel Valencia, Sacramento, California
Dorothy I. Vesecky, San Rafael, California
Nancy Jane Warder
Rosa Emilia Warder Shango
Glenn Welker
Stephanie M. Wildman, Santa Clara, California
Gail Williams
Lei-Chala I. Wilson
Phyllis Etheridge Young

EJS received the following names after the letter was sent to President Fox and are added here in the order they were received:

Professor Pamela D. Bridgewater, Washington, D.C.
Professor Marcia Johnson, Houston, Texas
Kristen Clarke-Avery Largo, Maryland
Professor LeRoy Pernell, Dekalb, Illinois
Professor Edieth Y. Wu, Houston, Texas
Farrah Wilder, San Francisco, California
Dr. Barbara E.M. Cannon, Alameda, California
Assoc.Professor Clarence Spigner, University of Washington
Susan Baronoff
Elizabeth Milos, San Francisco, California
Marcia Campos, Walnut Creek, California
Professor Arthur Leavens, Springfield, Massachusetts
Sarah E. Lazare, Northampton, Massachusetts
Marti Roach, Moraga, California
Gene J. Lubow, New York, New York
Amrah Salomon Johnson, Nairobi, Kenya
Mary Margaret Overbey, Alexandria, Virginia
BWOPA (Black Women Organized for Political Action)
Sheila De Lany, Co-Chair, Santa Cruz County Women's Commission, Santa Cruz, California
Professor Tobias Wolff, Davis, California
Sadie Williams
Adjoa A. Aiyetoro. Little Rock, Arkansas
Shakti Butler, Oakland, California
Professor Odeana R. Neal, Baltimore, Maryland
Asst. Professor Lydie Nadia Pierre-Louis, New York, New York
Professor Arthur D. Wolf, Springfield, Massachusetts
Professor Valerie Phillips, San Antonio, Texas
Professor Phoebe A. Haddon, San Antonio, Texas
Professor José Roberto (Beto) Juárez, Jr., San Antonio, Texas
Bessie Chin
Patricia K. Gaskins, Bowie, Maryland
Idriss Stelley Foundation
Refilwe Moeti, Atlanta, Georgia
Alfonso Loera-Rubalcava
Lorene Garrett-Browder, Los Banos, California
Professor Amy Kastely
Enaj C. Leotaud
Jessica Evans, San Francisco, California
Marcia Campos, Walnut Creek, California
Miguel Gavaldon, Equal Justice Society

cc:
Juan Angel Serrano Mariche, President
Comite Mexico Negro AC
Biblioteca Tercera Raiz
El Ciruelo
Pinotepa Nacional
Oaxaca, MEXICO