AS
AS WE
AS WE CURL UP AT HOME WITH THE COLD AND COVID 19 RESTRICTIONS, A GOOD BOOK CAN
BE A GOOD GRAB FOR YOU AND FOR
YOU AND YOUR CHILD.
BUT IT'S ALSO IMPORTANT TO MAKE
SURE THE BOOK THAT YOU'RE
CHOOSING HAS KEPT UP WITH
THE TIMES.
OUR RACIAL EQUITY EQUITY EXPERT
AND MSU PROFESSOR DR ROSEMARY
ALLEN JOINS AGAIN TO TALK ABOUT
KIDS BOOKS.
DR. ALLEN, THANKS AGAIN.
GOOD TO SEE YOU TOO, GARY.
SO WHAT ARE SOME BOOKS THAT MAY
BE INAPPROPRIATE NOW AND WHY
ARE THEY YOU KNOW, GARY.
YOU WOULD BE SURPRISED THAT SO
MANY OF OUR FAVORITE BOOKS ARE
INAPPROPRIATE.
TAKE FOR INSTANCE DR. SEUSS A
LONGTIME FAVORITE FOR MANY DR.
SEUSS BOOKS HAVE A HISTORY
OF DEHUMANIZING PEOPLE
OF COLOR.
THEY SOMETIMES MOCK
AFRICAN-AMERICANS, ASIANS AND
INDIGENOUS PEOPLE AND EVEN
BOOKS LIKE LITTLE HOUSE ON
THE PRAIRIE AND THE SECRET
GARDEN.
THERE'S ACTUALLY A STATEMENT IN
THE LITTLE HOUSE ON THE PRAIRIE
THAT SAYS NO PEOPLE LIVED HERE
,ONLY INDIANS.
THEY HAVE LOTS OF STEREOTYPES.
PETER PAN, AN ALL TIME FAVORITE
NOTORIOUS FOR ITS TREATMENT
OF ASIANS AND INDIGENOUS PEOPLE
.
INDIGENOUS PEOPLE ARE REFERRED
TO AS NON-HUMAN AND A LOT
OF RACIAL SLURS ARE USED.
AND IN PETER PAN,
THE INDIGENOUS PEOPLE CALL HIM
THE GREAT WHITE FATHER.
THERE WAS A STUDY CONDUCTED
THAT LOOKED AT THE ROLES
OF MALES AND FEMALES FOR
CHILDREN BOOKS AND IT WAS FOUND
THAT THERE WERE ONLY FOUR ROLES
FOR FEMALES IN CHILDREN'S
BOOKS.
THERE WERE EITHER THE MOTHER
DAUGHTER, THE PRINCESS OR
THE MAID.
HOWEVER, MALE ROLES WERE A LOT
MORE DIVERSE.
THERE WERE ASTRONAUTS AND
SCIENTIST AND NIGHT REALLY
STRONG STRONG CHARACTERS.
YEAH, I MEAN SOME OF THAT IS
REALLY SHOCKING FOR SURE.
TWO TO FIND OUT ABOUT THAT.
SO THERE IS AN ARGUMENT OUT
THERE MADE BY SOME THAT RATHER
THAN NOT READING THE BOOKS IT
IS IMPORTANT TO READ ORIGINAL
WORKS AND THEN TALK ABOUT
THE CHANGES IN SOCIETY SINCE
THEY WERE WRITTEN.
WHERE DO YOU COME DOWN ON THAT?
YOU KNOW, I JUST DON'T AGREE.
GARY, WHY WOULD WE WANT TO
INTENTIONALLY CREATE A BIAS AND
THEN UNDO THE BIAS?
THERE ARE SO MANY AMAZING BOOKS
OUT THERE RIGHT NOW THAT YOU
COULD READ TO CHILDREN THAT
SHOW WOMEN IN A VERY POSITIVE
ROLE POSITIVE RACIAL IDENTITY,
DEVELOP IDENTITY DEVELOPMENT
FOR PEOPLE OF COLOR.
THERE'S JUST NO NEED AT ALL TO
READ OUTDATED BIASED BOOKS.
JUST TO HAVE A DISCUSSION ABOUT
IT.
THERE'S ENOUGH REAL WORLD
EXAMPLES FOR THAT.
SO WHAT SHOULD PARENTS DO WHEN
READING BOOKS THAT MIGHT
PROMOTE RACISM OR SEXISM THAT
SORT OF THING?
FIRST WE HAVE TO READ THE BOOKS
AGAIN.
SO MANY OF THESE BOOKS WE LOVED
AS CHILDREN WE DID NOT LOOK AT
THEM OR VIEW THEM WITH A
CRITICAL LENS.
SO WE WANT TO LOOK AT BOOKS
FROM A CRITICAL EQUITY LENS AND
WE WANT TO FIRSTLY ILLUSTRATE
ENWS LOOK FOR STEREOTYPES.
ARE THERE OVERGENERALIZATIONS
PEOPLE OF COLOR WHO'S DOING
WHAT IN THE BOOKS ARE
THE PEOPLE OF COLOR AND WOMEN
AND SUBSERVIENT AND PASSIVE
ROLES.
ARE THEY IN LEADERSHIP AND
ACTION ROLES?
ARE THE MALES ALWAYS THE ACTIVE
DAUGHERS AND ARE THE FEMALES
ALWAYS IN ACTIVE OBSERVERS THEN
YOU WANT TO LOOK AT
THE STORYLINE.
HOW ARE PROBLEMS PRESENTED,
CONCEIVED AND RESOLVED BY
THE PEOPLE OF COLOR?
THE PROBLEM ARE THE WHITE
PEOPLE THE SAVIORS THEY COME
INTO RESCUE ARE THE ROLES
OF WOMEN BASED ON INTELLIGENCE
OR IS IT BASED ON THEM BEING
PRETTY FAIR AND SLIM?
COULD THE SAME STORY BE TOLD IF
THE ROLES WERE REVERSED?
SO LOOK CRITICALLY AND BE AWARE
OF THE MESSAGES THAT CHILDREN
ARE RECEIVING FROM WHAT WE'RE
READING FROM WHAT THEY'RE
READING.
AS ALWAYS, A LOT TO THINK