Massachusetts Museum Replaces Dr. Seuss Mural Due To A ‘Jarring Racial Stereotype’

Printed from: https://newbostonpost.com/2017/10/06/massachusetts-museum-replaces-dr-seuss-mural-due-to-a-jarring-racial-stereotype/

Daily Caller News Foundation

By Gabrielle Okun 

A Massachusetts museum is replacing part of a Dr. Seuss mural after three authors threatened Thursday to not attend an event at the museum due to the mural portraying a racial stereotype of a Chinese man “with chopsticks, a pointed hat and slanted slit eyes.”

The mural at the Amazing World of Dr. Seuss Museum in Springfield, Mass., will replace part of a mural that features a Chinese character from Seuss’s first children’s book called, “And To Think That I Saw That on Mullberry Street.” Authors, Mo Willems, Mike Curato and Lisa Yee signed a letter to explain why they are declining an invitation to the now-canceled Children’s Literature Festival Oct. 14, reported Fox News.

“We recently learned that a key component of this institution honoring Dr. Seuss features a mural depicting a scene from his first book, ‘And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street,’ and within the selected art is a jarring racial stereotype of a Chinese man, who is depicted with chopsticks, a pointed hat and slanted slit eyes,” said the complaint.”We find this caricature of ‘the Chinaman’ deeply hurtful, and we have concerns about children’s exposure to it.”

The museum agreed to change the mural, reported The Associated Press.