Ollie Harrington facts for kids

Oliver Wendell Harrington (born February 14, 1912 – died November 2, 1995) was an American cartoonist. He was a strong supporter of civil rights and spoke out against racism in the United States. A famous writer named Langston Hughes once called him "America's greatest African-American cartoonist". In 1961, Harrington asked for political asylum in East Germany. He lived in Berlin for the last 30 years of his life.

The Story of Oliver Harrington

His Early Life

Oliver Harrington was born in Valhalla, New York. His parents were Herbert and Euzsenie Turat Harrington. He was the oldest of five children. Oliver started drawing cartoons to show how he felt about a teacher who treated people unfairly because of their race. He finished DeWitt Clinton High School in the Bronx in 1929.

His Cartooning Work

Oliver Harrington became part of the Harlem Renaissance. This was a time when many African-American artists and writers created amazing work. He found a job when Ted Poston, an editor at the Amsterdam News newspaper, saw his great cartooning skills. Oliver was very good at using cartoons to make fun of politics and serious issues.

In 1935, Harrington created a cartoon called Dark Laughter for the newspaper. It was a single cartoon panel that appeared regularly. Later, the cartoon was renamed Bootsie. This was after its most famous character, Bootsie. Bootsie was an ordinary African-American person dealing with unfair treatment in the U.S. Harrington said Bootsie was "a jolly, rather well-fed but soulful character." During this time, Oliver also studied Fine Arts at Yale University. But he could not finish his degree because the United States entered World War II.

On October 18, 1941, he started a new comic strip called Jive Gray. This was a weekly adventure story about an African-American pilot. The strip ran until Harrington moved to Paris.

Fighting for Civil Rights

During World War II, the Pittsburgh Courier newspaper sent Harrington to Europe and North Africa as a reporter. In Italy, he met Walter Francis White. White was a leader of the NAACP. After the war, Walter White hired Harrington to help with the NAACP's public relations. In this job, Oliver became a well-known voice for civil rights.

He wrote an important article called "Terror in Tennessee." This article showed how violence against Black people had increased after the war. Harrington was even invited to debate with the U.S. Attorney General, Tom C. Clark. They talked about "The Struggle for Justice as a World Force." Harrington challenged Clark about the U.S. government not doing enough to stop violence and unfair treatment based on race.

Life in France

In 1947, Harrington left the NAACP. He went back to drawing cartoons. Because he was so well-known and active in civil rights, the government started watching him. The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the House Un-American Activities Committee paid attention to his work. To avoid more government attention, Harrington moved to Paris in 1951.

In Paris, he joined many other African-American writers and artists who lived there. These included James Baldwin, Chester Himes, and Richard Wright. Richard Wright became a very close friend.

Moving to Germany

In 1960, Richard Wright died. Harrington was very upset by this and felt unsafe. He thought the American embassy was bothering American artists living abroad. In 1961, he asked East Germany for political asylum. This means he asked their government for protection and permission to live there.

He spent the rest of his life in East Berlin. He found lots of work there and became very popular. He drew pictures and wrote for magazines like Eulenspiegel and Das Magazin. He also worked for the Daily Worker newspaper.

His Family

Oliver Harrington had four children. Two of his daughters are American citizens. A third daughter is a British citizen. All three were born before he moved to East Berlin. His youngest child, a son, was born after Harrington married Helma Richter, who was a German journalist.

Exhibitions

• 2021–2022 "Dark Laughter Revisited: The Life and Times of Ollie Harrington" (Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum, Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio)