Liz Phipps Soeiro, a librarian employed by Cambridge Public School, made headlines after rejecting a series of Dr. Seuss books donated by First Lady Melania Trump. Soeiro’s reason for the rejection cited that the books contained “racist propaganda,” which raised many eyebrows.
The Full Story
As reported by Fox News, Soeiro slammed the First Lady’s book donation, claiming she should have donated to more disadvantaged schools, before making the aforementioned “racist propaganda” accusation.
This declaration puzzled Americans for several reasons. Firstly, reading Dr. Seuss books to young children is a longtime tradition, especially for First Ladies. Both Laura Bush and Michelle Obama read Dr. Seuss books to children. There was never any outcry of the books’ racism during that time. Also, the content of Dr. Seuss has not changed. Many Americans took to social media and expressed their beliefs that Soeiro’s rejection of the books was motivated by politics.
Furthermore, shortly after Soeiro’s comments, images of her in “The Cat and the Hat” attire began to surface online. Many people pointed out the contradiction between what Soeiro wore and what she said.
Response From The First Lady and Cambridge School District
Following Soeiro’s rejection, the office of the First Lady released this statement:
