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Amanda Gorman's inspiring Inauguration Day poem banned in Florida [1]

['Ruben Bolling']

Date: 2023-05-24

These Ron DeSantis Florida school book bans have have somehow gotten even more outrageous, offensive, cruel, and ridiculous. A Florida elementary school has banned its students from reading Amanda Gorman's poem The Hills We Climb, recited at Joe Biden's presidential inauguration ceremony in 2021, as well as three other books. Link to article in The Independent here.

The poem will now only be accessible to middle school students at the Bob Graham Education Center in Miami Lakes, Florida, according to The Miami Herald. The poem, which received international acclaim, was one of several texts reportedly challenged by a parent of two students for referencing critical race theory or gender ideology.

Daily Salinas is the parent who challenged the poem and three books, which led to their removal. Amanda Gordon posted the form on which Salinas issued the challenge, which claims the material "have indirectly hate messages." Salinas wrote that the function of the material is "Cause confusion and Indoctrinate students." Salinas also misidentified "Oprah Winfrey" as the author/publisher.

So they ban my book from young readers, confuse me with @oprah , fail to specify what parts of my poetry they object to, refuse to read any reviews, and offer no alternatives…Unnecessary #bookbans like these are on the rise, and we must fight back 👊🏿 DONATE here:… pic.twitter.com/p96dlnrSp4 — Amanda Gorman (@TheAmandaGorman) May 23, 2023

The poem itself is purely inspiring, optimistic, and uplifting, and is absolutely appropriate for children of any age to read or hear. Here is Amanda Gorman reciting the poem at the inauguration. And here is the poem's text.

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