Las Vegas Sprint telephone directory cover offends residents; incites action

Jet, August 28, 1995

Sprint Central Telephone in Las Vegas has come under fire recently for printing a telephone directory cover which some area residents view as offensive and stereotypical.

The Sprint Central Telephone-Nevada phone book pictures a drawing of four people of different races in the process of planting trees. The offensive sketch is of a Black girl whose hair appears to be curly locks sticking straight up and out.

Barbara Robinson, a retired attorney who writes a weekly column in the Las Vegas Review-Journal, said the hair, as depicted in the sketch, is an early 1900s stereotype of Black hair.

Robinson said she found the cover racially insensitive, politically incorrect and downright ignorant.

When public outrage spread to Sprint officials, the matter was made worse because their first response was no response.

Marzette Lewis, founder of the community group WAAK-UP, the Westside Action Alliance Korp-Uplifting People, said Sprint officials told her they would not recall the phone books because that would be too expensive, and they wouldn't make a public apology because that would just escalate the controversy more.

Residents angered by Sprint's lack of response recently held a community forum during which they either returned their phone books or tore off the cover of the new directory and returned it.

Lewis, 54, said the signatures of people who are against the directory cover were also collected during the meeting. The signatures will be given to Sprint officials.

At press time, Lewis maintained, "We're still collecting phone books and we're still collecting signatures."

She added: "They [Sprint] know they have disrespected us. There are so many people who are not African-American calling and asking how they can help. We're using the signatures to let them know how many people are against this. When you get all these signatures you're sending out a powerful message."

Judith Shannon, Sprint's director of communications for the local division there, said the company has gained a "much better understanding of people's sensitivity" through the much publicized issue.

Shannon also said Sprint has apologized to the people in the community through a letter to Lewis, as well as through the media.