I've heard some whining about Welcome Home, Franklin being tokenism because of how Franklin was introduced over 50 years (sitting on the opposite of the table), and what I say to that is...it's a cartoon, and you have to consider the era in which Franklin was introduced. Charles Schultz had to go through all sorts of hatred and changes to get Franklin in the cartoon, and though him sitting by himself was sad, it was simply apropos of the era. Networks also had to think about the viewership in the South, because from what I've read, they caught some serious heat, yet they still aired Franklin in the Peanuts cartoon in all of his African American glory. I watched Welcome Home, Franklin with my niece and she liked it, I liked it and we're Black. Franklin is not the weak people pleasing token some critics have described, he's a military brat who is used to constantly moving, attending new schools, sometimes all over the world...it's starting over again and again trying to make new friends and becoming comfortable immersed, in yet, another new environment. And unless a person has been down the road of military bratdom, back off. But ultimately, Welcome Home, Franklin, is about friendship. Franklin is smart and adorable. What more could anyone ask for.
