On Friday, March 2, young children across the country donned red and white striped hats, blue hair, and other wacky costumes to celebrate the birthday of classic children’s author Dr. Seuss. Classrooms, libraries, celebrities and children’s organizations joined in the festivities, but this year Jumpstart decided to take a pass.
On the surface, that decision may seem counter-intuitive. After all, Jumpstart is a national, early education organization that provides language, literacy, and social-emotional programming for children from under-resourced communities. Each October we celebrate Read for the Record, a global campaign that brings together millions of people to shine a spotlight on the importance of children’s literacy. Books are our currency: they are the centerpiece of our research-based curriculum, and they facilitate intentional, caring relationships between adults and children. We believe books serve as mirrors, where children can see themselves reflected, and windows, where children can glimpse other worlds. Books can be a powerful way to learn about and experience the world around us; they help build empathy and understanding. They can also, intentionally or unintentionally, through language, plot, and images, convey negative attitudes or biases that can be harmful to children.
It was in that context that we examined our participation in Dr. Seuss day activities. Some — but not all — of Dr. Seuss’s books are rooted in racial stereotypes and contain messages of racism, a fact that has been called out by many before us, including teachers, librarians, scholars and professors. It is also true that Dr. Seuss evolved on issues of race, and that some of his works, such as Horton Hears a Who!, promote messages of tolerance and inclusiveness.
Our biggest concern was that by partaking in an event that is a blanket celebration of Dr. Seuss, we would not have the opportunity to have nuanced conversations about the harmful stereotypes and images contained in some of his works. Without such dialogue, our participation felt like an implicit endorsement of all of his work, including that which is racist. And that endorsement would fly in the face of our commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Jumpstart will serve 12,500 children from under-resourced communities this year. We know that they — and all children — are inundated with images on a daily basis from books, television, screen time, and other media, and that these images contribute to how children view and value themselves and their community. Jumpstart is committed to advancing equity, and to interrupting inequitable practices, especially racism, both inside and outside of our organization. We are reviewing our training, our curriculum, our curriculum books, and our participation in events through this lens. And we are asking our organization to engage in honest and critical dialogue — sometimes uncomfortable — about these issues.
Taking a pass on Dr. Seuss day was not an easy decision for me. Like many people, I grew up reading — and loving — Dr. Seuss, and I read his books to each of my three children. They delighted in the engaging, rhyming text, and the whimsical stories. But as a white woman leading a national early education organization that engages with communities of color, I am committed to ensuring that Jumpstart honors the identities of its community members, and actively works to identify and dismantle the systems and structures that perpetuate racism.
We are not advocating for banning Dr. Seuss books. We are advocating for using this opportunity to ask questions, learn, and practice being critical about children’s literature. When considering a children’s book, ask yourself: when was the book published? Who is the author? Who has the power/voice in the book? What is the point/larger message of the book? How are different lifestyles represented? How are people represented as unique in this book? These questions will continue to inform us as we evolve our organizational practice, and seek to highlight and support diverse authors and books that reflect the children, families and communities we serve, and that celebrate the uniqueness of the human experience.
Naila Bolus, President & CEO of Jumpstart
