White House, advocates slam Florida school's 'censorship' of inauguration poem
The White House and advocates have criticized a Florida school's decision to remove the poem recited by Amanda Gorman at President Joe Biden's inauguration from the elementary school portion of its library. The move has been called censorship, and both the White House and advocates have expressed their concerns. Gorman's poem, "The Hill We Climb," offers a hopeful vision for a divided country and celebrates the United States as a nation that is healing despite its challenges.
White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre condemned the book's removal, stating that banning books is censorship and limits American freedom. She emphasized that the poem was written so that all young people could see themselves in a historical moment, and the president and his administration stand with Gorman.
The Miami-Dade County Public Schools confirmed that the book had been removed from the elementary school section of the library but clarified that it was still available in the media center for middle school students. The school district asserted on Twitter that the book was never banned or removed.
Gorman expressed her disappointment upon learning about the removal of the book, sharing a copy of a complaint filed against it by a Florida parent. The complaint alleged that the poem indirectly promoted hate and mistakenly identified Oprah Winfrey as the author of the book's introduction.
This incident is part of a broader pattern seen in Florida and other Republican-led states where attempts have been made to restrict students' access to materials discussing African American history, race issues, or LGBTQ rights. Last year, a study commissioned by the Every Library Institute revealed that the majority of Americans oppose book banning and consider it when voting. The American Library Association (ALA) documented the highest number of attempted book bans in 2022 since it started tracking them over 20 years ago.
In response to the situation, the ALA's Executive Director, Tracie Hall, announced that Gorman would be a keynote speaker at the organization's annual conference to support her freedom of expression and counteract censorship efforts that undermine the Constitution and threaten democracy.
The administration of Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, a Republican, has previously rejected parts of a proposed new high school Advanced Placement course on African American studies and banned the teaching of critical race theory from certain college courses
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