January 16, 2009

Another Indians 'n' animals alphabet

Stop Racism Against Native Americans in Children's BooksRacism in Waldorf Alphabet Book

Please let Bell Pond Books know that it is racist to place Native American people in the same category as objects and animals. Bell Pond Books is the publisher of "Waldorf Alphabet Book." It is an alphabet picture book with an "Indian and two "Inuits" as part of the images for the letter "I." All other images in the book are of animals, objects, or of nonhuman beings such as a mermaid and a gnome. Imagine if we replaced the culture of these images. "N" is for Negro, "J" is for Jew. It does not read very well does it? This kind of objectification of Native Americans directs the young mind of the reader to view them as sub-human, etching a stereotype into their little psyches that will shape how they view Native Peoples as they grow into adults. This has been an acceptable form of racism in American culture for years and it is time to stop it NOW.

What you can do

1. Email the CEO of Bell Pond Books and let him know that you want the images edited out or the book to stop being published all together.

Gene Gollogly
gene@booklightinc.net
Comment:  For more on the subject, see I Isn't for Indian.

Below:  Finger puppets with the same problem as this alphabet book.

No comments: