When The Spirit first appeared in 1941, racial stereotyping was at
an all-time high. Blackface still ruled the day. Amos and Andy rode high on the
air waves. Mammy cookie jars, mechanical banks with cartoonish Black characters,
and other somewhat insensitive material were at peak popularity.

By the time Denny Colt’s sidekick, enterprising taxi driver Ebony White,
showed up on the page–with exaggerated features (bugged eyes, huge lips) and a
deferent, broken dialect–no one batted an eye.

Some people still don’t. The fact remains that White was the frequently
appearing, trusted confidante to the series star. And aside from his outward
appearance, he was possessed of a solid and admirable character.

Plus, he was among the first recurring African American pulp magazine
co-stars and his debut broke down barriers for other sidekicks (and eventual)
heroes of color.

Later in the series, Ebony White’s more outlandish facial features were
toned down. And a noble new African American character emerged–Detective Grey.
Formidable, stoic, and something of an equal to Denny Colt, Detective Grey was a
practical and professional private eye with none of the language issues or
appearance problems that may have hindered White from being taken
seriously.

Today, we are able to place the character within his cultural context and
to say that we’re glad he was there at all. In later reprisals of the series in
other media (including film), Ebony White was a regularly rendered and
respectable man–a rather memorable part of The Spirit‘s
legacy.