The acclaimed poem written by Amanda Gorman for U.S. President Joe Bidenâs inauguration was moved from the elementary section of a Miami-Dade County public school after a parent complaint and school review, the district confirmed Tuesday.
A parent of a student at Bob Graham Education Center â a kindergarten through eighth grade school in Miami Lakes â objected to Gormanâs poem âThe Hill We Climb,â for which they erroneously listed Oprah Winfrey as the author/publisher, according to documents obtained by the Florida Freedom to Read Project.
It âis not educational and have (sic) indirectly hate messages,â the complaint said, adding that the poem would âcause confusion and indoctrinate students.â
The same parent made similar complaints about âLove to Langston,â a poetry-based biography of Black poet Langston Hughes; âThe ABCs of Black Historyâ and two books about Cuba, complaints obtained by the nonprofit group show.
A materials-review panel at the school declined to remove the books from the school entirely but did decide to move the Gorman poem and two other disputed items to the libraryâs middle school section, which is for grades six through eight, according to minutes of an April meeting of the committee that were obtained by the nonprofit.
The poemâs removal is the latest consequence of a Florida law that requires the approval of books in classrooms and grants any parent the power to complain about specific works. Under Gov. Ron DeSantis, a Republican set to run for president, Florida has used this and other âparental rightsâ laws to ban works on LGBTQ issues, social justice and even math textbooks.
Gorman, the nationâs first-ever Youth Poet Laureate, was 22 when she performed âThe Hill We Climbâ at Bidenâs inauguration in 2021. Inspired by the Capitol insurrection two weeks earlier, the 700-word poem criticized the âforce that would shatter our nation rather than share itâ and spoke about the need for justice and social change.
âThe new dawn blooms as we free it,â she concluded the poem. âFor there is always light, if only weâre brave enough to see it, if only weâre brave enough to be it.â
The poem and performance launched her to national stardom, including appearances at the Super Bowl, on the cover of Time and Vogue and atop bestsellerâs lists.
GORMAN CRITICIZES POEM'S REMOVAL
Gorman was âguttedâ by the districtâs decision, she said in a statement on Tuesday.
âI wrote âThe Hill We Climbâ so that all young people could see themselves in a historical moment. Ever since, Iâve received countless letters and videos from children inspired by âThe Hill We Climbâ to write their own poems,â she wrote. âRobbing children of the chance to find their voices in literature is a violation of their right to free thought and free speech.â
Miami-Dade Countyâs mayor on Wednesday invited Gorman to visit for a reading.
âYour poem inspired our youth to become active participants in their government and to help shape the future. We want you to come to Miami-Dade to do a reading of your poem. If youâre in, we will coordinate,â Daniella Levine Cava wrote on Twitter.
In a statement to CNN Tuesday evening, Miami-Dade County Public Schools spokesperson Elmo Lugo said, âNo literature (books or poem) has been banned or removed.â
âIt was determined at the school that âThe Hill We Climbâ is better suited for middle school students and, it was shelved in the middle school section of the media centre. The book remains available in the media centre,â he said.
Lugo did not respond to a request to verify the authenticity of the complaint documents released by the Florida Freedom to Read Project, instead saying the district would process CNNâs inquiry as a formal public records request.