Dr. Philip Nel speaks about racial underones
in children books written by Dr. Suess.
The lecture was held in Watson Forum on Tuesday
and sponsored by The Prindle Institute of Ethics.
SAM CARAVANA / THE DEPAUW
Children’s literature and ethics are two topics usually not associated with each other, however, a pair of prominent professors made them intertwine.
On Tuesday, DePauw University and the Janet Prindle Institute for Ethics came together to present a one-day symposium on race and children’s literature. Two distinguished scholars, Dr. Philip Nel of Kansas State University and Dr. Michelle H. Martin of the University of South Carolina, presented on complex issues regarding race and the predominately white world of children’s literature.
Students in Harry Brown’s children’s literature class also had the chance to meet with these two during class time on Tuesday.
Organizer of the event and Robert and Carolyn Frederick Distinguished Visiting Professor of Ethics, Claudia Mills, provided a brief overview of topics touched on.
“They discussed topics ranging from the lack of representation of non-white children in children’s books to the legacy of racism that still haunts children’s literature,” she said.
Mills organized a symposium pertaining to the ethics of children’s literature on DePauw’s campus in Sept. of 2012. This abbreviated symposium focused specifically on race and Mills expressed her goals behind this in an email exchange.
“My goal in bringing the event to the DePauw campus was to sensitive us as teachers, future-teachers, parents and community members,” she said. “To the importance of providing diverse books for all children.”
Dr. Nel addressed community members, students, faculty and staff Tuesday afternoon in the Pulliam Center for Contemporary Media. His talk titled “Was the Cat in the Hat Black?” touched on instances of racism in children’s books. He focused specifically on Dr. Seuss and discussed how a number of his books have racist illustrations in them, not specifically the “Cat in the Hat.”
Following a brief discussion of the cat’s origin in jazz music and previous illustrations, Nel specified that the race of the Cat is not its defining feature. It is instead the mischief that is most identifiable. So one is able to choose whether or not to buy into his argument that the Cat is black.
DePauw provides students with valuable opportunities intended to expand knowledge and opinions. Sophomore Amanda Weber agreed.
“I enjoyed having speakers come to campus who think critically about books and the way ideas and characters are represented,” she said. “It was interesting to hear them share their ideas to create a more diverse world for children to grow up in by using children’s books.”
Dr. Martin presented her talk on Tuesday evening at Prindle, which was titled, “The Politics of Hair in African American Picture Books.”
She discussed how African American hair is represented in children’s literature and how the images used can influence readers. Children need to be taught at young ages to embrace their “nappy hair” so that they will accept their appearance.
Dr. Martin also discussed old and new techniques African Americans use to straighten their hair. These included combs that were heated over a stove, chemical relaxers, straightening irons, the addition of fake hair to their own or braiding their hair weekly. All of this to change the natural appearance to one that is perceived as “more desirable.”
A commonality between the two presentations was the reference to the necessity for children’s books to have both a mirror and a window. For people to see themselves reflected back in a mirror while also being able to see others through a window.
“I really liked the metaphor of the mirror and the window,” said junior Megan Bailey. “So for example I know that I am white and I have had the advantage of always seeing someone like myself portrayed in the stories that I read growing up. But I know that if I ever have kids that I want to make a concerted effort to make sure that they’re seeing different perspectives.”
As campus climate continues to be discussed at DePauw, this symposium further educated members of the DePauw community about race and racism. First-year student Emily Fox agrees and found these events educational.
“These events really opened my eyes to the lack of diversity in children’s literature and the issues that come with this,” she said. “Only 10 percent of children’s books have characters of color, three percent are written by people of color, but 40 percent of school-age children are of color.”