HATE has consequences ....
Sometimes the impact and influence of Hate is immediate often it has a trajectory when the Hate intersects with Race especially in America .
I loathe the efforts of far too many Americans that seek to silence the condemnation of symbols, tributes, memorials and authors that have produced such Hate into our culture. Efforts to deflect and often make excuses for Hate in our culture are not only counter productive but often accelerate Hate by creating safe harbors under the guise of nuance and context.
I don’t intent to articulate a referendum or a litmus test on the racial character of Dr. Seuss aka Theodore Geisel . Instead I would rather speak to the toxic impact of some of his work that influenced and impacted children and students.
For myself and many children,students ,I read and enjoyed the splendor and beauty of words in many books I often read alone and without any parental oversight , review or permission. Many of my early reads were children books authored by Geisel.
Instinctively I knew his racist caricatures and verbiage that was a staple of many of his children books offended me and challenged the thoughts of my parent’s counsel , that as a Black child I was born with dignity deserving of respect and humanity.
Geisel’s celebrated writings were soaked and baked with deliberate and vicious depictions of people like myself and my family. If there ever was a person whose selective works deserved to be cancelled certainly from my reality and experience in America as a Black person Dr. Suess books fit the profile!
Geisel never issued a public apology to Black families and others. Geisel never authored a book that was aspirational nor elevated Black families.Yet during his career he found the politically correct courage to reject fascism and antisemitism including even finally bigotry.
It is never too late to ‘Right a Wrong’ is the lesson my parents taught me and it was the same lesson I delivered often to my children.
Dr. Seuss aka Theodore Geisel impacted and altered the consciousness and unconscious innocence of children and students with some of his racist books . The ability and capacity of many of us to evolve and not be forever contaminated by some of his ugly and racist books is a testament to our parents, teachers and others.
I welcome this opportunity to insert the lesson my parents taught me with regards to Dr.Seuss. I hope children today who encounter books and libraries that lack inclusion and diverse authors will not be defeated, broken and wounded if they encounter similar books like those written by Geisel.
Peace
