She will not read them on a stump, she will not take them from a Trump.
A Cambridge, Massachusetts librarian has refused a gift of Dr. Seuss books from Melania Trump, Newsweek reports. The books donated were part of national Read a Book Day.
In a shady turn of events, school librarian Liz Phipps Soeiro refused the books, saying that “Dr. Seuss is a bit of a cliché.”
In a blog post titled “Dear Mrs. Trump,” Soeiro wrote that her school has “plenty of resources” that contribute to its excellence.
“Cambridge, Massachusetts, is an amazing city with robust social programming, a responsive city government, free all-day kindergarten, and well-paid teachers,” she wrote. “My students have access to a school library with over nine thousand volumes and a librarian with a graduate degree in library science. Many schools around the state and country can’t compete.”
She continued, “Meanwhile, school libraries around the country are being shuttered. Cities like Philadelphia, Chicago, and Detroit are suffering through expansion, privatization, and school ‘choice’ with no interest in outcomes of children, their families, their teachers, and their schools. Are those kids any less deserving of books simply because of circumstances beyond their control? Why not go out of your way to gift books to underfunded and underprivileged communities that continue to be marginalized and maligned by policies put in place by Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos?”
“You may not be aware of this, but Dr. Seuss is a bit of a cliche, a tired and worn ambassador for children’s literature,” she added. “Another fact that many people are unaware of is that Dr. Seuss’s illustrations are steeped in racist propaganda, caricatures, and harmful stereotypes.”
Soeiro also appended a list of books she urged the president’s wife to read, including The Boy and the Bindi, Red: A Crayon’s Story and Two White Rabbits.
“Books can be a powerful way to learn about and experience the world around us; they help build empathy and understanding,” she wrote. “You and your husband have a direct impact on these children’s lives. Please make time to learn about and value them. I hope you share these books with your family and with kids around the country. And I encourage you to reach out to your local librarian for more recommendations.”
Girl, leave it to a librarian to REEEAAADDD.
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