After a Florida school banned elementary school students from accessing a poem by Amanda Gorman, the mayor of Miami-Dade County has invited the writer to read it publicly, USA Today reports.
The offer came after it was reported that the Bob Graham Education Center in Miami Lakes, had restricted younger students in the school from accessing “The Hill We Climb,” the poem Gorman read at President Joe Biden’s 2021 inauguration. The ban was the result of a complaint from a parent who said the poem “is not educational and have indirectly hate messages.”
Daniella Levine Cava, the mayor of Miami-Dade County, where Miami Lakes is located, wrote on Twitter, “@TheAmandaGorman, your poem inspired our youth to become active participants in their government and to help shape the future. We want you to come to Miami-Dade to do a reading of your poem. If you’re in, we will coordinate.”
The school’s move to restrict access to Gorman’s poem, which was published as a standalone book and also included in her collection Call Us What We Carry, was the latest in a series of book bans in Florida that came about after Gov. Ron DeSantis signed three laws making it easier for parents to challenge reading materials in schools.
Last week, the Jewish Telegraphic Agency reported that the parent who filed the complaint against Gorman’s poem, Daily Salinas, shared a Facebook post summarizing The Protocols of the Elders of Zion, an antisemitic hoax text from the early 20th century. Salinas apologized for the post.
Michael Schaub, a journalist and regular contributor to NPR, lives near Austin, Texas.
