Doris Seale

Doris Seale (born Doris Marion Seale, July 10, 1936 - February 17, 2017) was a Santee Dakota, Abenaki and Cree librarian, poet, writer, and educator. She worked as a librarian for 45 years.[1][2] She has written about Native Americans sending positive messages to children. Her work has helped to educate teachers about the truth about Native American people and cultures. She was a co-founder of Oyate, an advocacy and education organization which reviews children's literature to ensure it treats Native Americans with "historical accuracy, cultural appropriateness and without anti-Indian bias and stereotypes".[3]

She wrote poetry and non-fiction that focused on these themes. Her last published work, A Broken Flute: The Native Experience in Books for Children, dealt with issues of cultural appropriation. It included a chapter on deconstructing the myths perpetuated about the first Thanksgiving, helping educators create more culturally appropriate activities for the holiday.[4] Her activism extended into other areas of her work. When she received the ALA Equity Award in 2001, the ceremony was being held at the Marriott Hotel in San Francisco, a hotel that was in a labor dispute with its workers. Seale joined that picket line rather than go inside to accept her award.[5]