Morrie Turner integrated the comics with "Wee Pals" in 1965. His originals are beautiful, educational, and often feature biographies of famous Americans of Color.  Visit http://www.CLStoons.com/paoc/morrie.htm for an excellent overview of Mr. Turner's career.

The following text obtained in part from: http://www.bdirect.com/EOYDC/Turner1.htm
Oakland native and nationally syndicated cartoon artist Morrie Turner of the famed “Wee Pals” comic strip launched the first in a series of summer art exhibitions at EOYDC on June 10, 1995.

Turner began drawing cartoons in the fifth grade and created the “wee Pals” comic strip in 1965 as a way of bring black characters to the comic pages. His goal was no easy task and the characters did not receive full syndication until three years later after the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Within 90 days of King’s death, “Wee Pals” was appearing in over 100 newspapers nationwide. Turner is also a published author with sales over a half million, has 25 million daily readers throughout the United States and enjoys prominence in several international locales including: Brazil, Jamaica, the Philippines and Africa. The dedicated community supporter is no stranger to in-kind contributions. Turner’s recognizable images have been used by many non-profit organizations, including EOYDC, through his generosity to help others.