The Hill We Climb, Amanda Gorman’s poem for the president’s inauguration, was restricted in some Miami-Dade elementary schools after a parent claimed it contained subliminal “hate messages.”
Gorman, 25, who rose to fame after reading her poem at President Joe Biden’s inauguration in 2021, criticized the school’s actions on Twitter on Tuesday.
“I’m gutted,” The poet made a lengthy statement on Twitter, emphasizing that books that are censored are frequently written by individuals. “who have struggled for generations to get on bookshelves,” most of whom are “queer and non-white.”
“I wrote The Hill We Climb so that all young people could see themselves in a historical moment,” Gorman remarked. “Ever since, I’ve received countless letters and videos from children inspired by The Hill We Climb to write their own poems. Robbing children of the chance to find their voices in literature is a violation of their right to free thought and free speech.”
— Amanda Gorman (@TheAmandaGorman) May 23, 2023
Rep. Maxwell Frost (D-Fla.) tweeted a citation from The Hill We Climb supporting Gorman.
“But while democracy can be periodically delayed, it can never be permanently defeated,” Before writing, Frost made a quote. “We will fight and we will prevail.”
According to documents made public by the Florida Freedom to Read Project and first reported by The Miami Herald, the book was restricted at the Bob Graham Education Center in Miami Lakes after a parent complained in March that it “is not educational and has indirectly [sic] hate messages.”
The ABCs of Black History, Cuban Kids, Countries in the News: Cuba, and Love to Langston were the four books the same parent complained about, citing “indoctrination” and “CRT.”
The Hill We Climb’s author, Oprah Winfrey, was incorrectly identified in the complaint.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis enacted many new educational laws last week, including one requiring schools to remove challenged textbooks within five days of receiving a complaint while authorities decide whether to ban the material permanently.
DeSantis is anticipated to make his 2024 presidential bid announcement on Wednesday.
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The Miami-Dade school district claimed in a tweet following the book’s publication that it had not been outlawed and was still “available in the media center as part of the middle grades collection.”
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For almost 4 years, Jason Martin has been a freelance writer for newspapers, journals, blogs, books, and online material. He covers the most recent news as well as many other topics.