Amanda Gorman's Inauguration Poem Removed From FL School

FORT LAUDERDALE, FL — A poem written and recited at President Joe Biden's inauguration was removed from a South Florida elementary school this week after a parent complained it contained "indirect hate messages" and served to "indoctrinate students," according to reports.

In a Facebook post written this week, National Youth Poet Laureate Amanda Gorman vowed to fight back. Her poem, "The Hill We Climb," was challenged in March by the parent of two students at Bob Graham Education Center in Miami Lakes, along with several books.

"I'm gutted," Gorman wrote. "I wrote 'The Hill We Climb' so that all young people could see themselves in a historical moment. Ever since, I've received countless letters and videos from children inspired by 'The Hill We Climb' to write their own poems."

Gorman continued, "Robbing children of the chance to find their voices in literature is a violation of their right to free thought and free speech."

Gorman quickly gained notoriety at Biden's inauguration, where she was the youngest poet to read at the ceremony since Robert Frost was invited to John F. Kennedy's in 1961.

In "The Hill We Climb," Gorman references everything from Biblical scripture to "Hamilton," and at times echoes the oratory of Kennedy and the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. With urgency and assertion, she begins by asking, "Where can we find light/In this never-ending shade?" and used her own poetry and life story as an answer.

With the poem, Gorman said she intended to share a message of hope for Biden's inauguration without ignoring "the evidence of discord and division." Gorman had completed a little more than half of the poem before Jan. 6 and the siege of the U.S. Capitol by supporters of then-President Donald Trump.

According to a Miami-Dade Schools spokesperson, staff moved the book from the elementary school section and placed it in the middle school section. To read it, an elementary student would have to request it from staff and prove they read at a middle school level, according to a Washington Post report.

Daily Salinas, the parent who complained about the poem, also challenged the books "The ABCs of Black History," "Cuban Kids," and "Countries in the News: Cuba," according to records obtained by the Florida Freedom to Read Project and shared with the Miami Herald.

In an interview with the Herald, Salinas said she "is not for eliminating or censoring any books." Instead, she wants materials to be appropriate and for students "to know the truth" about Cuba.

After a review, "Countries in the News: Cuba" remains available to all Miami-Dade students, according to the Herald. The other titles have also been moved to the middle school section.

While book bans are not new, they are happening much more frequently, especially in Florida — where Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis has championed policies that allow the censorship of books some have deemed inappropriate for children in schools, causing a national uproar.

DeSantis, who entered the 2024 presidential race Wednesday, has leaned heavily into cultural divides on race, sexual orientation, and gender as he gains support from conservative voters who decide Republican primary elections.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.