Amanda Gorman "Gutted" After Her Inaugural Poem is Banned in Florida
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Amanda Gorman, the nation's first-ever youth poet laureate, took to Twitter with a devasting update on Tuesday, May 23. The 25-year-old revealed that "The Hill We Climb," the poem she performed at Joe Biden's 2021 presidential inauguration, was moved out of the elementary section of one Miami-Dade County public school, CNN reports. According to the outlet, the poem still remains available to older children.
"I'm gutted," Amanda began. "Because of one parent's complaint, my inaugural poem, The Hil We Climb, has been banned from an elementary school in Miami-Dade County, Florida," she wrote.
She opened up about the inspiration her poem provided to young people. "I wrote The Hill We Climb so that all young people could see themselves in a historical moment. 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 issued a call to action and revealed that her publisher, Penguin Random House, joined PEN America and various authors and community members in a lawsuit against Florida's Escambia County to challenge book restrictions. "To help, donate to and visit @PENAmerica and spread the word about these book bans," she asked.
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The Hill We Climb was pulled from the Bob Graham Education Center, a school for children from kindergarten through eighth grade after a parent filed a complaint about the poem. Amanda shared a picture of the complaint that falsely listed Oprah Winfrey as the author/publisher. It "is not education and have [sic] indirectly hate messages," the complaint said. The poem would reportedly "cause confusion and indoctrinate students."
Miami-Dade County Public Schools spokesperson Elmo Lugo denied reports of a ban in a statement to CNN. "No literature (books or poem) has been banned or removed," he said. According to Lugo, "It was determined at the school that 'The Hill We Climb' is better suited for middle school students, and it was shelved in the middle school section of the media center. The book remains available in the media center."
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