Doonesbury by Garry Trudeau for April 17, 1977
Transcript:
Clyde: *sigh!* Where is everyone hiding? Maybe I was adopted. Ginny: Benny, it's not that I object to his search per se. It's jsut that he hasn't a job and I... Benny: Ginny, let me tell you a story. Maybe it will help you understand where Clyde's coming from... When I was a little kid, an African diplomat came to my school. He was tall and self-assured, and when he spoke, it was like music, and everybody - even the whites - paid close attention. After his speech, I went up to him and asked, "Hey, man, how come you don't act like a black?" He threw back his head and laughed, and when I required what I'd said, I ran from the room in tears! It took me a long time to get over the shame, and even longer to get over the anger - anger that I hadn't been allowed to grow up with that man's dignity, his natural sense of self-worth. Well, "Roots" speaks to that, Ginny. "Roots" says that that dignity is possible. For me, for Clyde, for anyone! So don't put Clyde down, girl. He didn't set out to find a coat of arms - he just set out to find himself! Ginny: Oh, Clyde, I... Clyde: Right! My coat of arms discovery was just gravy!