A mural depicting a Dr. Seuss character with exaggerated slanted eyes, a pointed hat and chopsticks has been replaced at the The Amazing World of Dr. Seuss Museum in Springfield, Massachusetts, reports WBUR.
Three children’s authors lead a protest in October and succeeded in getting the museum to remove the mural.
Mo Willems, Mike Curato and Lisa Yee had refused to attend a children’s book festival in protest. Shortly after, the festival was cancelled and the museum announced its decision about the mural. Yee and Curato are Asian Americans.
The Courant reports the museum has also added a wall text addressing the controversy.
“Ted’s (Theodor Seuss Geisel) visual world was steeped in what some might now consider racially charged imagery,” it reads. “Does the fact that Dr. Seuss changed over time make it OK that his early imagery in children’s books is no longer comfortable for readers? We hope all who visit will strive to see Dr. Seuss in historical context and celebrate the fact that a person can change and grow over time.”
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