One of America’s most beloved authors, who is widely credited with leading the development of children’s literature, has had her name removed from an award that was created in her honor 65 years ago. The Association for Library Services to Children (ALSC) recently decided that Laura Ingalls Wilder’s writing expressed “anti-native” and “anti-black” sentiments and therefore her name must be expunged. A statement on the ALSC website reads, “This decision was made in consideration of the fact that Wilder’s legacy, as represented by her body of work, includes expressions of stereotypical attitudes inconsistent with ALSC’s core values of inclusiveness, integrity and respect, and responsiveness.”

Once again the specter of the Left’s politically correct intolerance is raised in opposition to the history and unique experiences of Americans and to purge any vestiges of appreciation or celebration of those historical perspectives. Wilder wrote of her childhood and her experiences, but she was no racist. The irony here is that in the name of “inclusiveness” the ALSC is excluding any portrayals of America’s past that it finds offensive. And the saddest part is the fact that the ALSC seems unwilling to recognize the fact that characters in Wilder’s beloved novels are themselves seeking to understand and navigate an ever-changing and developing world.

Oh, and by the way, these are the same librarians indoctrinating young children with books about “two mommies” and the like.

Dedra McDonald Birzer notes the irony in National Review, “The rejection of the author and the rejection of her semi-autobiographical novels produce the same result: In favor of safe spaces and trigger-free zones, this country’s professional librarians seek to destroy the literary heroine that millions of American girls (and boys) identified with and aspired to emulate. In doing so, they seek to destroy us all and re-make us in their own image, based on their core values of inclusivity and responsiveness, rounded out by respect (properly placed, of course) and their version of integrity. Join me in being naughty on the inside (one of my favorite aspects of young Laura’s character) by refusing to accept the Association of Library Services to Children’s version of Laura Ingalls Wilder. We know better.”