Dr. Seuss Let Me Down

Dr. Seuss got it wrong.

His birthday is today and, unlike past years, many have chosen not to celebrate him. The racist content in his early work is no longer being ignored.

Now, for context, Dr. Seuss’s birthday has been widely celebrated in schools since 1998 as a way to promote early literacy, one of the primary missions throughout Geisel’s life. Spearheaded by the NEA, March 2nd was branded Read Across America Day, which has now been rebranded to “Create & Celebrate A Nation Of Diverse Readers.” Just yesterday, President Biden completely disassociated Dr. Seuss with Read Across America. 

I am committed to standing on the right side of diversity and inclusion, so bear with me, but this one hurts. I have studied Dr. Seuss extensively and, until recently, borderline idolized him. I almost convinced Nathan to name our second kid Theodor. I have visited his museum in Massachusetts. I have read many biographies, some illustrated, like Klimo’s The Great Doodler, and some not, like Morgan and Morgan’s Dr. Seuss and Mr. Geisel. All of which highlight his magical and intriguing life, leaving out details about racist propaganda and illustrations featuring antisemitism and Orientalism. 

Yet, here I am, preparing to clean out the Seuss books in the playroom. Except for one, Dr. Seuss: The Great Doodler. 

We’ll read his biography and then we’ll discuss what’s happening today, because I want my boys to know who he is, not who I hoped he was. Later in his career, Geisel made some edits and thematically changed course. While those changes matter, they weren’t enough, because he continued to profit from plenty of remaining hurtful content.

My boys will know there is space in this world for redemption, but only if we do the work, make some true sacrifices, and humbly change course. I wish Dr. Seuss had.

#readacrossamerica

#drseuss