CNN
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Appreciated poem Written by Amanda Gorman President Joe Biden’s inauguration was moved from the elementary division of a Miami-Dade County public school after a parent complaint and a school review, the district confirmed Tuesday.
A parent of a student at Bob Graham Education Center, a kindergarten through eighth grade school in Miami Lakes, objected to Corman’s poem “The Hill We Climb” for which they incorrectly listed Oprah Winfrey as the author/publisher. Florida Independence Study Program.
The complaint said it was “non-educational and contains implicitly hateful messages”, adding that the poem “will cause confusion and indoctrinate students”.
The same parents made similar complaints about “Love to Langston,” a poem-based biography of black poet Langston Hughes; “The ABCs of Black History” and two books about Cuba, complaints received by the nonprofit group.
A materials-review committee at the school declined to remove the books entirely from the school, but decided to move the Corman poem and the two controversial items to the middle school section of the library. April meeting of the board received by the non-profit organization.
The deletion of the poem is a recent consequence of a Florida law requires consent on the books In classrooms and empowers any parent to complain about specific jobs. Florida used it to help Republican Ron DeSantis run for president Other “Parental Rights” laws LGBTQ issues, social justice and Even math textbooks.
Corman, then 22, became the nation’s first Young Poet Laureate “The Mountain We Climb” was performed At Biden’s inauguration in 2021. Inspired by the Capitol uprising two weeks earlier, the 700-word poem criticized “the power that divides our nation rather than divides it” and spoke of the need for justice and social change.
“The new dawn blooms as it sets free,” she concludes the poem. “There is always light, if only we are brave enough to see it, if only we are brave enough to be there.”
Poetry and acting launched her as a national star, including appearances Super Bowlon the card Time And Vogue And On the best seller list.
Gorman was “devastated” by the district’s decision, he said Report On Tuesday.
“I wrote ‘The Hill We Clump’ for all young people to see themselves in a historic moment. Since then, I’ve received countless letters and videos of children inspired by ‘The Hill We Climb’ to write their own poems,” she wrote. “Depriving children of the opportunity to find their voices in literature is a violation of their right to free thought and free speech.”
The mayor of Miami-Dade County invited Gorman to a reading Wednesday.
“Your poem inspired our youth to become active participants in their government and help shape the future. We want you to come to Miami-Dade to read your poem. If you are, we will coordinate,” wrote Daniela Levine Cava. Twitter.
In a statement to CNN Tuesday evening, Miami-Dade County Public Schools spokesman Elmo Lugo said, “No literature (books or poetry) has been banned or removed.”
“The school decided that ‘The Hill We Climb’ was more appropriate for middle school students, and it was placed in the middle school section of the media center. The book is in the media center,” 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 will process the CNN investigation as a formal public records request.
