FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) 鈥 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, 鈥淭he Hill We Climb鈥 was challenged by the parent of two students at Bob Graham Education Center in Miami Lakes, along with several books.
鈥淚'm gutted,鈥 she wrote. 鈥淩obbing children of the chance to find their voices in literature is a violation of their right to free thought and free speech."
Gorman, who at 17 became the country鈥檚 好色tv Youth Poet Laureate, said she wrote the poem 鈥淭he Hill We Climb,鈥 so 鈥渁ll young people could see themselves in a historical moment,鈥 and that she鈥檚 received countless letters and videos from children who were inspired to write their own poems.
She became an international sensation at Biden鈥檚 inauguration, where she was the youngest poet to read at the ceremony since Robert Frost was invited to John F. Kennedy鈥檚 in 1961.
In 鈥淭he Hill We Climb,鈥 Gorman references everything from Biblical scripture to 鈥淗amilton,鈥 and at times echoes the oratory of Kennedy and the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. With urgency and assertion she begins by asking, 鈥淲here can we find light/In this never-ending shade?鈥 and used her own poetry and life story as an answer.
She said she planned to share a message of hope for Biden鈥檚 inauguration without ignoring 鈥渢he evidence of discord and division.鈥 She had completed a little more than half of the poem before Jan. 6 and the siege of the U.S. Capitol by supporters of then-President Donald Trump.
The poem and books are still available in the media center for middle school-aged children, Ana Rhodes, a spokesperson for the Miami-Dade school district, said in a statement.
While book bans are not new, they are happening much more frequently, especially in Florida 鈥 where Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis has championed policies that allow some have deemed inappropriate for children in schools, causing national uproar.
DeSantis, who entered the 2024 presidential race Wednesday, has leaned heavily into cultural divides on race, sexual orientation and gender as he gains support from conservative voters who decide Republican primary elections.
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre condemned the decision to ban Gorman鈥檚 poem, saying Biden and his administration stands with her.
鈥淭he President was proud to have Ms. Gorman, the youngest inaugural poet, speak at his inauguration,鈥 she said.
鈥淏anning books is censorship, period,鈥 she added. "It limits American freedom 鈥 Americans鈥 freedom 鈥 and we should all stand against that type of act.鈥
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 she's not 鈥渇or eliminating or censoring any books.鈥 Salinas said she wants materials to be appropriate. 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 鈥渂etter suited鈥 or 鈥渕ore appropriate鈥 for middle school students. The books were to remain in the middle school section of the media center, the review concluded.
鈥淎nd let鈥檚 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."
