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.
A poem written for President Biden’s inauguration has been placed on a restricted list at a South Florida elementary school after one parent’s complaint.
In a Facebook post on Tuesday, poet Amanda Gorman vowed to fight back. Her poem, “The Hill We Climb” was challenged by the parent of two students at Bob Graham Education Center in Miami Lakes, along with several books.
“I’m gutted,” she wrote. “Robbing children of the chance to find their voices in literature is a violation of their right to free thought and free speech.”
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 national uproar.
DeSantis, who is expected to announce his presidential candidacy 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.
Yecenia Martinez, principal of the K-8 school, which is part of the Miami-Dade public school system, did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment about the poem’s ban. The school is named after Bob Graham, a former Democratic governor and U.
