The poem that was read by poet Amanda Gorman at President Joe Biden’s inauguration has been banned from elementary schools in Miami-Dade County, Florida after the objections of just one parent.
The Miami Herald reports that the poem, which is titled “The Hills We Climb,” was removed from the K-5 curriculum in the county after local parent Daily Salinas challenged it as inappropriate for students.
Gorman, good-naturedly, doesn’t want to make a big deal out of the experience, but years later, the notion that “a public figure’s life” could be mined without her consent still rankles, principally because this sort of heated adulation is now inextricable from her ascendant writing career. “I built up this narrative in my head that, you know, I had to be some type of,” she paused, raising her hands from her lap to air-quote, “ ‘role model.’ ”Gorman, good-naturedly, doesn’t want to make a big deal out of the experience, but years later, the notion that “a public figure’s life” could be mined without her consent still rankles, principally because this sort of heated adulation is now inextricable from her ascendant writing career. “I built up this narrative in my head that, you know, I had to be some type of,” she paused, raising her hands from her lap to air-quote, “ ‘role model.’ ”
In addition Gorman’s poem, Salinas also challenged four other books: The ABCs of Black History, Cuban Kids, Countries in the News Cuba, and Love to Langston for what she claimed were filled with “indirect hate messages” inspired by critical race theory.
Salinas tells the Miami Herald that she’s not in favor of censorship but she instead wants students to “know the truth” about Cuba with accurate reading materials.
That said, she also complained that the district had left the books she objected to available for middle school students, as she claimed they were inappropriate for all ages.
Stephana Ferrell, the director of research and insight at Florida Freedom to Read Project, said that the nature of the books being challenged in the county show that there’s a concerted effort to target “books that address ethnicities, marginalized communities, racism or our history of racism.”
It was the middle of a February day, and the weather, even for an L.A. winter, was shockingly warm, giving our meeting the conspiratorial feel of hooky. Midafternoon was the only time Gorman could steal away from her overstuffed schedule. Last week there had been a guest spot on the Hillary Clinton podcast, and next week there would be a panel with Oprah. It was Gorman who remembered to bring the blankets, and hers was embroidered with astrological signs. (“As a twin, I love being a Pisces, because it’s the two fish,” she said. She and her sister are best friends.) It was the middle of a February day, and the weather, even for an L.A. winter, was shockingly warm, giving our meeting the conspiratorial feel of hooky. Midafternoon was the only time Gorman could steal away from her overstuffed schedule. Last week there had been a guest spot on the Hillary Clinton podcast, and next week there would be a panel with Oprah. It was Gorman who remembered to bring the blankets, and hers was embroidered with astrological signs. (“As a twin, I love being a Pisces, because it’s the two fish,” she said. She and her sister are best friends.)
The Mattel brand had invited Gorman to do a reading celebrating the arrival of Gabriela, the latest “Girl of the Year,” to expectant young customers. This was New Year’s Day, 2017, and Gorman was an 18-year-old freshman at Harvard, home on winter break, decompressing from the surprise of New England frost. At the time, Gorman had already been named Youth Poet Laureate of L.A. (the first one ever) and was a known and admired figure on the national spoken-word circuit. The night before the event, the American Girl team briefed her on the biography of the doll. It was like a horror movie—Peele-esque, we agreed after she told me the story.
Gorman did the reading anyway. American Girl told me that the doll was not inspired by Gorman’s life, and sent me a photo of Gorman, mid-performance, costumed in Gabriela’s exact outfit. “I felt like if I backed out of the event, I would have been failing the girls who would have this Black doll,” Gorman said. The rest of the year, when advertisements for Gabriela crept into her view, or friends would text her excitedly that they had seen her doll, she would avert her gaze, thinking on the mad vinyl thing she had locked away out of sight at home.
Information reads: “The poem @TheAmandaGorman recited at @JoeBiden’s inauguration has been banned from a Miami Lakes elementary school (coincidentally named after former Gov. Bob Graham) after the objection of one parent.”
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