Know the difference between canceled and accountability.
Happy Thursday, and welcome back to the Anti-Racism Daily! I was disappointed to see this news get convoluted into something more than what it is. Not only does it add noise to a time where fast and accurate information is critical for our wellbeing, but it also detracts from the rare instances where organizations hold themselves responsible for change. I think this is a good case study in media literacy and looking past sensationalized headlines.
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Ps – yes, I know that MI is for Michigan and MS is for Mississippi. That was a typo.
TAKE ACTION
If you are reading books with a child that depicts harmful racist stereotypes, have an honest discussion with them about it. More resources from Learning for Justice.
Explore the diverse books recommended for 2021 by the National Education Association.
Pay attention to how “canceled” is used in conversations about race. Who is on the defensive? What were the actions taken? Where did the conversation originate from?
GET EDUCATED
By Nicole Cardoza (she/her)
March 2 was Read Across America Day, an initiative launched in 1998 to celebrate reading across the U.S. The day was started to commemorate the birthday of Theodor Seuss Geisel who wrote iconic children’s books under the pen name Dr. Seuss. But this year, the news was lit up with shocking allegations that Dr. Seuss was officially canceled for promoting racial tropes in his work. A school in Virginia banned his books. President Biden slighted him in a speech. And on Tuesday, the organization that manages Dr. Seuss’ anthology was forced to stop publishing his works. Altogether, these read as serious developments at first glance but, is the controversy valid?
One thing for certain is that there are definitely racist tropes in Dr. Seuss’s work. This conversation is not new, in fact, Dr. Seuss himself acknowledged and apologized for the harm (Dr. Seuss Art). In a study from 2019 titled Research on Diversity in Youth Literature, researchers Katie Ishizuka and Ramon Stephens analyzed all the published children’s work of Dr. Suess and found that only two percent of the human characters were people of color. All of those characters were depicted using harmful racial caricatures that are unacceptable today (St. Catherine University).
Consequently, organizations have acted accordingly. In 2017, the National Education Association rebranded Read Across America which is held on March 2 each year in honor of Dr. Seuss’ birthday to focus only on the celebration of reading and, specifically, the need to read diverse books (Edweek). These changes are reflected by others celebrating the day including school districts. Loudoun County Public Schools, the school district in question, had to publish an update on their website explaining just that (lcps.org). And although President Biden is the first president not to name Dr. Seuss in his public acknowledgment, it’s likely more to stay aligned with the NEA’s talking points than a direct attack on the Dr. Seuss’ legacy.
It’s also true that some of Dr. Seuss’ books are “canceled”, but not because of public outrage. Dr. Seuss Enterprises, the organization that manages Dr. Seuss’ anthology, announced that they made the decision to cease publication and licensing of only the books that depict racist tropes. The announcement indicated that this decision was made sometime last year after an external review. None of these books are the popular ones Dr. Seuss is known for. Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street, If I Ran the Zoo, McElligot’s Pool, On Beyond Zebra!, Scrambled Eggs Super!, and The Cat’s Quizzer are the six books that have been removed. (Suessville).
The controversy this year is less about the issue itself, but more on how it’s being spun by conservative media which is blaming the “woke mob” and “cancel culture” for “destroying” the institution of Dr. Seuss’ whimsical rhyming children’s books. Nothing here is destroyed; the majority of Dr. Seuss’ books will still be sold, organizations will celebrate the importance of reading, and we’ll continue to acknowledge the harm of promoting racist tropes in kids’ books. This wasn’t brought about by a mob of protestors but instead were decisions made by a national organization and the company that represents Dr. Seuss’ legacy. These clear and straightforward calls for accountability have been weaponized to insinuate that they’ve caused more harm than they actually have.
The controversy around Dr. Seuss is one of many recent examples of the conservative uproar over change, particularly expressed in the media. According to conservatives, The Muppets were canceled after Disney added content warnings to some of the old episodes that showcased harmful stereotypes (Vulture). Mr. Potato Head fell victim to the woke mob when Hasbro—sort of—dropped the Mr. and Mrs. from the brand name and logo to make the characters more gender-inclusive (AP).
These misinformation initiatives detract from the necessary efforts of both individuals and organizations to promote diversity and inclusion. They also attempt to discredit efforts to address sexism, racism, homophobia, etc. By disparaging those that seek change, conservatives believe they can reshape the narrative to act in their favor, often completely ignoring the facts most central to the issue; in this case, that some of Dr. Seuss’ work can be harmful for youth.
There’s a wide berth between accountability and cancelation, and we should applaud those taking steps to move forward instead of defending the outdated norms that exist. Although the actions of Dr. Seuss aren't forgiven, the most we can do is take accountability and do our part to move forward.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
After conversations around racist stereotypes found in Dr. Seuss' work rose again alongside Read Across America Day, the organization that represents his work announced they are ceasing the sale and publication of the books in question.
Critics decried the move as an attack by the "woke mob" and their attempts to "cancel" Dr. Seuss entirely, misrepresenting recent actions by the President, a Virginia school district, and the official Dr. Seuss organization.
This is one of many examples on how conservative media and leaders wield "cancel culture" and "wokeness" against those taking accountability and working towards change.
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