NBC News' panel of 'experts' explains why canceling Dr. Suess will build 'a better, more just, and inclusive world of children’s literature'

You might think that Dr. Seuss Enterprises deciding to cease publication of six of Dr. Seuss’ books isn’t going to solve racism. You might think that it’s just all-around counterproductive and a bad idea.

But NBC News would probably just say that means you’re not an expert:

Critics are condemning a decision to no longer publish six Dr. Seuss books, but experts say a reckoning with his racist works is long overdue. https://t.co/2nuEKbaODF – @NBCBLK

— NBC News (@NBCNews) March 3, 2021

What experts?

— SouthMetroAFC (@SouthMetroAFC) March 3, 2021

More from NBC BLK reporter Char Adams:

“In Dr. Seuss’ books, we have a kind of sensibility which is oriented toward centering the white child and decentering everyone else,” said Ebony Thomas, a professor of children’s and young adult literature at the University of Pennsylvania. She is the author of “The Dark Fantastic: Race and the Imagination from Harry Potter to the Hunger Games.”

“Dr. Seuss was shaped by a completely immersive white supremacist culture,” Thomas said. “Even during that time, our ancestors and elders were protesting racist works and producing alternative stories for our children. How do we decide what endures and what doesn’t endure? It’s our responsibility to decide what kind of books to put in front of kids.”

…

“I absolutely think this is a commitment to a better, more just, and inclusive world of children’s literature,” Ann Neely, professor of children’s literature at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, said. “We have so many outstanding books for children today; there is no need to continue to publish books that are now inappropriate. We must evaluate books for children by today’s values, not on our own nostalgia. Children need to see themselves, and others who may be different from them, in an accurate and positive way.”