Another day, another cancellation…in Virginia, they do not like green eggs and ham, or Dr. Seuss.
Dr. Seuss, also known as Theodor Geisel, has been dropped from the annual ‘Read Across America’ event, a national day to encourage reading. Dr. Seuss books have long been a staple of the program.
Dr. Seuss, a major supplier of content for television and film through such characters as The Grinch, the Cat in the Hat, and Horton Hears a Who, was banned because his books allegedly have “strong racial undertones,” according to the school system.
The Loudon County, Virginia schools said they will look toward books they believe are more “inclusive and diverse and reflective of our student community,” a spokesman said.
The Left says Dr. Seuss is racist. They say Little House on the Prairie is racist. They say To Kill a Mockingbird is racist. All being banned by public schools. How long before the Left bans the Bible?
— toddstarnes (@toddstarnes) February 27, 2021
Wayde B. Byard, a Loudoun schools spokesman, said research uncovered “strong racial undertones in many books written/illustrated by Dr. Seuss,” The Washington Post reported.
“Given this research, and LCPS’ focus on equity and culturally responsive instruction, LCPS has provided guidance to schools in the past couple of years to not connect Read Across America Day with Dr. Seuss’ birthday exclusively,’ Byard said.
Despite the ban from “Read Across America,” Dr. Seuss will still be available in libraries and classrooms in the district.
Read Across America Day, founded by the National Educational Association in 1998, is celebrated on the March 2 birthday of the late author, whose 60 children’s books have sold more than 600 million copies.
“Realizing that many schools continue to celebrate ‘Read Across America Day’ in partial recognition of Dr. Seuss’ birthday, it is important for us to be cognizant of research that may challenge our practice in this regard,” reads the announcement from Loudon officials obtained by the Daily Wire.
“As we become more culturally responsive and racially conscious, all building leaders should know that in recent years there has been research revealing radical undertones in the books written and the illustrations drawn by Dr. Seuss.”
NEW: Virginia school system cancels Dr. Seuss, claiming his books are full of "orientalism, anti-Blackness and White supremacy" -Fox News
— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) February 27, 2021
Dr. Seuss’s books have been under fire for some time by woke observers, who believe they are “not diverse” in their presentations.
A 2019 report claimed some of the books “feature animal or non-human characters that transmit Orientalist, anti-Black, and White supremacist messaging through allegories and symbolism.”
