https://www.okayplayer.com/originals/is-the-boondocks-an-anime.html
The Boondocks is one of my favorite shows, both because I’ve always loved anime and also because it’s about Black people. The show talks about a lot of issues and experiences in the Black community. One of the great debates around it has always been whether or not people consider it an anime. I think this article does a good job at supporting why it should be one. So many Black people love anime and I think this is a good representation of that sub-culture. I once read that Black kids loving anime is due to many colored theaters during the era of segregation only being able to afford/show movies from Eastern Asia. Because of this, Black kids grew up watching Asian films and once segregation ended, this love continued. That’s why so many Black kids grew up watching anime and continue to love it. I’m not sure how much of this is truth as I read it a few years ago and can’t find the original article, but it’s interesting to think about histories silent impacts on the present. It’s like a thread that follows through time and evolves. I don’t know, I think it’s something that’s really interesting to think about. Kind of like how the stereotype that Black people can’t swim can be traced back to slave masters not allowing enslaved Africans and those of African descent to learn how to swim because they didn’t want them to escape. After slavery was abolished, Black parents couldn’t teach their kids to swim because they couldn’t and the vast majority couldn’t afford swimming lessons. Many Black kids still don’t know how to swim for these same reasons. The Boondocks is set to return in 2020.