1850 Zwarte Piet is introduced as Sinterklaas’ servant in a children’s book by schoolteacher Jan Schenkman
1865 The Dutch government abolishes slavery
1934 The first official Sinterklaas arrival by boat includes 6 black Surinamese sailors playing Zwarte Piet
1957 In Indonesia, former colonized Indonesians ban the Sinterklaas celebration for it depicting the previous colonial hierarchy
1968 M.C.Grünbauer suggests a Witte Pieten-plan, criticizing the Sinterklaas celebration as irresponsible as it taught to associate the then scary Zwarte Pieten with black people
1970 Small initiatives such as celebrations with a black Sinterklaas and white Pieten
1975 Independent Suriname abolishes the Sinterklaas celebration
1981 Solidariteits Beweging Suriname urges to celebrate Sinterklaas without Zwarte Piet
1986 Beweging Surinaams Links creates a brochure entitled “Sinterklaas is a racist”
1988 Rahina Hassankhan writes a book explaining the consequences of Zwarte Piet for black people’s notion of being different around Sinterklaas time
Antiracism and discrimination team introduces anti-discrimination code at various public schools, abolishing Zwarte Piet
1993 Sinterklaas celebration contains multi-colored Pieten, but Zwarte Piet is changed to black the following year
1994 – 1998 Zwarte Piet = zwarte verdriet organized yearly demonstrations, participated in public debates, published a book and petitioned against Zwarte Piet at schools
1999 The management of education in Amsterdam Southeast created a Sint Nicholas code, a protocol to suggest a change of non-racist role division
2000 Organiseer Pressie Omhoog threatens to disrupt the Sinterklaas celebration, leading several schools to abolish Zwarte Piet
2001 Recognition of transatlantic slavery as a crime against humanity at the UN Conference in Durban
2003 Dutch department of Global Afrikan Congress offered a petition to Members of Parliament urging them to recognize the racist elements of the Sinterklaas celebration
2006 Public broadcaster NPS introduced “rainbow Pieten” during the national arrival, pressured by predominantly racist reactions, Zwarte Piet is changed back to black the following year
2007 Art.1, the national association against discrimination acknowledges the celebration to consist of racist elements and calls for “a better Piet”
2008 A protest against Zwarte Piet, part of an art exhibition at the Van Abbe Museum in Eindhoven was cancelled due to threats, but resulted in a documentary
Felix de Rooy stages a critical theatre show about Zwarte Piet at the Bijlmer Park Theatre in Amsterdam
2010 Organisation Soapbox organizes a debate on Zwarte Piet
2011 Artist Quinsy Gario starts his t-shirt campain “Zwarte Piet is racisme” and is, together with friend Kno’ledge Cesare violently arrested during the national arrival. It leads to various events, interviews and international outcries against the Sinterklaas celebration
2012 Dutch community in London is invited to be part of the tradition of resistance and to create an inclusive Sinterklaas celebration
Based on this timeline, we created flyers for the protest against the use of blackface in the Sinterklaas celebration in London taking place on December 2012. Download the flyer here: 65yrs of resistance
