MIAMI — A poem written for President Joe Biden’s inauguration has been placed on a restricted list at a South Florida elementary school after one parent’s complaint.
In a Facebook post on Tuesday, poet Amanda Gorman vowed to fight back. Her poem, “The Hill We Climb” was challenged by the parent of two students at Bob Graham Education Center in Miami Lakes, along with several books.
Patrick Semansky, Associated Press
American poet Amanda Gorman recites a poem during the Inauguration of U.S. President Joe Biden at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 20, 2021, in Washington.
“I’m gutted,” she wrote. “Robbing children of the chance to find their voices in literature is a violation of their right to free thought and free speech.”
While book bans are not new, they are happening much more frequently, especially in Florida — where Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis has championed policies that allow the censorship of books some have deemed inappropriate for children in schools, causing national uproar.
Phil Sears, Associated Press
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis reacts to applause as he gives his State of the State address during a joint session of the Senate and House of Representatives on March 7 at the Capitol in Tallahassee, Fla.
DeSantis has leaned heavily into cultural divides on race, sexual orientation and gender as he gains support from conservative voters who decide Republican primary elections.
Yecenia Martinez, principal of the K-8 school, which is part of the Miami-Dade public school system, did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment about the poem’s ban. The school is named after Bob Graham, a former Democratic governor and U.S. senator from Florida.
Daily Salinas, the parent who objected to the poem and books, told the Miami Herald she’s not “for eliminating or censoring any books.” Salinas said she wants materials to be appropriate and for students “to know the truth” about Cuba. It was not immediately clear what she objected to in Gorman’s poem.
After her complaint, a materials review committee made up of three teachers, a library media specialist, a guidance counselor and the principal, determined one of the books in question was balanced and age appropriate, and would remain available for all students, the newspaper reported.
The other four were deemed “better suited” or “more appropriate” for middle school students. The books were to remain in the middle school section of the media center, the review concluded.
Gorman, who at 17 became the country’s National Youth Poet Laureate, said she wrote the poem so “all young people could see themselves in a historical moment,” and that she’s received countless letters and videos from children who were inspired to write their own poems.
In the poem, called “The Hill We Climb,” Gorman references everything from Biblical scripture to “Hamilton,” and at times echoes the oratory of John F. Kennedy and the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. With urgency and assertion she begins by asking, “Where can we find light/In this never-ending shade?” and used her own poetry and life story as an answer.
Her appearance was a highlight of the inauguration ceremony marking President Joe Biden’s assuming office. She is by far the youngest of the poets to read at presidential inaugurations since Robert Frost was invited to John F. Kennedy’s in 1961.
“And let’s be clear: most of the forbidden works are by authors who have struggled for generations to get on the bookshelves,” Gorman’s post said. “The majority of these censored works are by queer and non-white voices.”
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Amanda Gorman’s poem for Biden’s inauguration banned by Florida school
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1. “The voters, the courts, and the states have all spoken.”
— U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell, remarks on Senate floor, Jan. 6.
This line from a speech given from the U.S. Senate floor before rioters broke into the Capitol on Jan. 6 tops a Yale Law School librarian's list of the most notable quotes of 2021.
Sen. Majority Leader Mitch McConnell was urging fellow Republicans to abandon their effort to overturn the election victory of President Joe Biden.
Moments after his words, the insurrection began, forcing the Capitol's evacuation.
Fred Shapiro, an associate director at the Yale library, assembles a list of noteworthy quotes each year. He said he picks quotes that are important or revealing of the spirit of the times, not because they are necessarily eloquent or admirable.
The list is a supplement to The New Yale Book of Quotations, which was edited by Shapiro and published by Yale University Press.
AP file
1. “The voters, the courts, and the states have all spoken.”
— U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell, remarks on Senate floor, Jan. 6.
This line from a speech given from the U.S. Senate floor before rioters broke into the Capitol on Jan. 6 tops a Yale Law School librarian's list of the most notable quotes of 2021.
Sen. Majority Leader Mitch McConnell was urging fellow Republicans to abandon their effort to overturn the election victory of President Joe Biden.
Moments after his words, the insurrection began, forcing the Capitol's evacuation.
Fred Shapiro, an associate director at the Yale library, assembles a list of noteworthy quotes each year. He said he picks quotes that are important or revealing of the spirit of the times, not because they are necessarily eloquent or admirable.
The list is a supplement to The New Yale Book of Quotations, which was edited by Shapiro and published by Yale University Press.
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Amanda Gorman’s poem for Biden’s inauguration banned by Florida school
AP file
2. “The likelihood there’s going to be the Taliban overrunning everything and owning the whole country is highly unlikely.”
— President Joe Biden, televised address, July 8.
AP file
2. “The likelihood there’s going to be the Taliban overrunning everything and owning the whole country is highly unlikely.”
— President Joe Biden, televised address, July 8.
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Amanda Gorman’s poem for Biden’s inauguration banned by Florida school
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3. “We say no more ‘blah blah blah,’ no more exploitation of people and nature and the planet.”
— activist Greta Thunberg, remarks to climate protesters, Edinburgh, Scotland, Nov. 1.
AP file
3. “We say no more ‘blah blah blah,’ no more exploitation of people and nature and the planet.”
— activist Greta Thunberg, remarks to climate protesters, Edinburgh, Scotland, Nov. 1.
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Amanda Gorman’s poem for Biden’s inauguration banned by Florida school
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4. “When day comes we ask ourselves, where can we find light in this never-ending shade?”
— poet Amanda Gorman, “The Hill We Climb” inauguration poem, Jan. 20.
AP file
4. “When day comes we ask ourselves, where can we find light in this never-ending shade?”
— poet Amanda Gorman, “The Hill We Climb” inauguration poem, Jan. 20.
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Amanda Gorman’s poem for Biden’s inauguration banned by Florida school
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5. “This conservatorship is abusive.”
— Britney Spears, statement to court, Los Angeles, June 23.
AP file
5. “This conservatorship is abusive.”
— Britney Spears, statement to court, Los Angeles, June 23.
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Amanda Gorman’s poem for Biden’s inauguration banned by Florida school
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6. “I communicated that I wanted to skip press conferences at Roland Garros to exercise self-care and preservation of my mental health.”
— tennis player Naomi Osaka, Time Magazine, July 19/26 issue.
AP file
6. “I communicated that I wanted to skip press conferences at Roland Garros to exercise self-care and preservation of my mental health.”
— tennis player Naomi Osaka, Time Magazine, July 19/26 issue.
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Amanda Gorman’s poem for Biden’s inauguration banned by Florida school
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7. "In those months when I was pregnant, all around the same time, so we have in tandem the conversation of, he won’t be given security, he’s not going to be given a title, and also concerns and conversations about how dark his skin might be when he’s born.”
— Duchess Megan Markle, remarks about her son Archie, “Oprah with Megan and Harry” CBS interview, March 7.
AP file
7. "In those months when I was pregnant, all around the same time, so we have in tandem the conversation of, he won’t be given security, he’s not going to be given a title, and also concerns and conversations about how dark his skin might be when he’s born.”
— Duchess Megan Markle, remarks about her son Archie, “Oprah with Megan and Harry” CBS interview, March 7.
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Amanda Gorman’s poem for Biden’s inauguration banned by Florida school
Western Australia Police via AP
8. “My name is Cleo.”
— Cleo Smith, 4, in response to a policeman upon her rescue from kidnapping, Carnarvon, Australia, Nov. 3.
Western Australia Police via AP
8. “My name is Cleo.”
— Cleo Smith, 4, in response to a policeman upon her rescue from kidnapping, Carnarvon, Australia, Nov. 3.
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Amanda Gorman’s poem for Biden’s inauguration banned by Florida school
AP file
9. “Presidents are not kings.”
— Judge Tanya Chutkan, opinion in case of Trump v. Thompson, Nov. 9.
AP file
9. “Presidents are not kings.”
— Judge Tanya Chutkan, opinion in case of Trump v. Thompson, Nov. 9.
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Amanda Gorman’s poem for Biden’s inauguration banned by Florida school
AP file
10. “I am here today because I believe Facebook’s products harm children, stoke division, and weaken our democracy.”
— whistleblower Frances Haugen, testimony before the Senate Commerce Committee Sub-Committee on Consumer Protection, Product Safety, and Data Security, Oct. 5.
AP file
10. “I am here today because I believe Facebook’s products harm children, stoke division, and weaken our democracy.”
— whistleblower Frances Haugen, testimony before the Senate Commerce Committee Sub-Committee on Consumer Protection, Product Safety, and Data Security, Oct. 5.
