A Massachusetts School Librarian has rejected Melania Trump’s book donations in celebration of the “National Read A Book Day,” Fox News reported. Liz Phipps Soerio wrote a lengthy blog post detailing the reason behind her decision to turn down Trump's donation of “Dr. Seuss” books to the school.
Trump’s book donation initiative has been an annual project spearheaded by United States first ladies for several years. Among those who have previously donated books to certain schools included Michelle Obama, Laura Bush, and Barbara Bush.
“Why not go out of your way to gift books to underfunded and underprivileged communities that continue to be marginalized and maligned by policies put in place by Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos?” Liz Phipps Soerio wrote.
She is the library media specialist at Cambridgeport School in Massachusetts.
Racist imagery?
Around three weeks ago, first lady Melania Trump donated 10 “Dr. Seuss” books to some of the top performing schools in each state. The books included titles such as “Green Eggs and Ham” and “The Cat In The Hat.” It also included “Oh, The Places You’ll Go!” which is a book she used to read to her son Barron Trump.
Soerio did not accept the books because of alleged “racist imagery” in some of these books. She said that Dr. Seuss’ illustrations have “racist propaganda, caricatures, and harmful stereotypes.” She also added that the school does not need those books since they have sufficient resources.
Former first lady Michelle Obama and her husband, former President Barack Obama, have been covered by the media reading “Dr.
Seuss” books to children. Some of these books included the same titles that Trump donated, such as “Green Eggs and Ham.”
Trump fires back
Melania Trump’s spokeswoman Stephanie Grisham released a statement saying that turning this donation “into something divisive is, unfortunate.” She assured that despite this, the first lady will remain “committed to her efforts on behalf of children everywhere.”
Grisham added that Trump has been showing her passion “to help as many children” by donating books to children in various states.
The spokeswoman said, “She has demonstrated this in both actions and words since her husband took office.”
The librarian’s controversial statements have urged her school district to clarify that her opinion does not stand for the views of the academic institution, The Boston Globe reported. The school added that she was entitled to her own insights.
Melania Trump and President Donald Trump have both been in the media a lot recently, with the president commenting on the 2017 Emmy Awards and his wife dealing with bulletin boards about her speaking skills.
