At one Miami-Dade school, there has been controversy about a book that is based on a poem written by Amanda Gorman, the first National Youth Poet Laureate.
The Hill We Climb is the title of both the book and the poem. The composition was memorably played by Gorman at President Joe Biden’s inauguration in 2020.
According to CBS News Miami partner the Miami Herald, a parent of a student at Miami Lakes’ K–8 Bob Graham Education Center objected to the book and complained, leading to its removal from elementary-level access.
The lawsuit claimed that the content is not instructional, conveys hate indirectly, confuses kids, and indoctrinates them. Furthermore, it mistakenly claimed that Oprah Winfrey wrote the book.
Gorman criticized the school system, claiming that the removal of the book might be contested in court. She continued by saying that it denies kids their freedom to free speech and thought.
Miami-Dade schools responded to the uproar with a statement that said, in part:
“No literature (books or poem) has been banned or removed. It was determined at the school that The Hill We Climb is better suited for middle school students and, it was shelved in the middle school section of the media center. The book remains available in the media center.”
Florida is at the centre of the discussion on book bans, especially as more time and resources are invested in determining which books belong in school libraries and to whom they should be accessible.
This comes after Gov. Ron DeSantis pushed for the legalization of censorship and challenged books based on whether they were suitable for kids in schools.
Following the removal of books addressing racial issues, racism, and LGBTQ+ identities, Penguin Random House, PEN America, writers, and parents have filed a lawsuit against the Escambia County school district.
The prohibited books allegedly include “The Bluest Eye” by Toni Morrison, “The Nowhere Girls” by Amy Reed, and “Lucky” by Alice Sebold, and the lawsuit alleges that the school system violated the First Amendment when it ordered their removal.
The lawsuit asserts that Escambia County, which is in the state’s panhandle, is particularly targeting books that “critics view as too ‘woke,'” so “depriving students of access to a wide range of viewpoints.”
Removing books from school libraries, according to PEN America, a group that defends free speech, teaches pupils that reading is risky. According to Suzanne Nossel, CEO of PEN America, such a lesson shouldn’t be taught in a democracy.
“In Escambia County, state censors are spiriting books off shelves in a deliberate attempt to suppress diverse voices,” she said. “In a nation built on free speech, this cannot stand.”
One parent, Lindsay Durtschi, said she joined the lawsuit because she believes banning diverse books creates “irreparable harm to the voices and safety of students in Florida.”
