In January 2021, Amanda Gorman (25), who recited her own poems at the inauguration ceremony of US President Joe Biden and drew the world’s attention, was restricted to ‘forbidden books’ at an elementary school in Florida.
The collection of poems in question is a collection of poems of the same name, titled “the hill we climb,” which Gorman read aloud at the time. This collection of poems, written by broadcaster Oprah Winfrey, became a bestseller immediately upon publication in September 2021. The poem contains the content of finding hope for a deeply divided country. Gorman explained that during the period of writing this poem, supporters of former President Donald Trump invaded the Capitol on the 1st and 6th, so it reflected the division in the United States.
However, as a parent at the Bob Graham Education Center in Miami-Dade County, Florida, complained that it was “inappropriate,” Gorman’s collection was banned from the elementary school library, the Miami Herald reported. This school is a school that integrates the curriculum from kindergarten to middle school in Korea.
According to documents released by the civic group ‘Florida’s Freedom to Read Project’ (FFTRP), it was the Daily Salinas, parents sending their two children to the school, who drafted the ban. In her request, filed in March, he argued that “The Hill We Will Climb” “is not educational and indirectly contains hate messages” and will “brainwash students.” Not only did he not specify the part in question, but it appeared that he had misrepresented the book’s author as Winfrey rather than Gorman.
After accepting the request, the school decided to move Gorman’s collection of poems to the middle school library in about a week. The school’s review board acknowledged that Gorman was meaningful in its historical context, being the youngest poet ever to recite poetry at a presidential inauguration and being named America’s first Poet Laureate in 2017. It was judged that it is more suitable for middle school students,” NPR reported.
As the controversy grew, the school countered, saying, “The books have been moved, but they are not banned on campus.” However, the Washington Post (WP) explained, “It means that elementary school students cannot read Gorman’s poetry unless they ask the librarian to read the books and prove that they can read books at the level of middle school students.”
Gorman said on his Facebook page on the 24th, “It is disastrous,” and pointed out that “to deprive children of the opportunity to find their voice through literary works is to deprive them of their freedom of expression.” White House press secretary Currin Janpier said in a statement on the same day that she would support Gorman, criticizing that “banning the book is censorship and an act of suppressing the freedom of the American people.”
The US CNN broadcast said, “After the inauguration of Republican Governor Ron DeSantis, the so-called ‘Parental Rights’ bills were introduced in Florida, which prevented students from teaching controversial topics such as racism and sexual minorities. result,” he explained. An FFTRP official told NPR, “This action is very typical of what’s happening in Florida right now,” and “because of the ambiguity of the law, many people fear being investigated or punished.”
Attempts to restrict access to certain books in libraries are increasingly taking place outside of Florida as well. The American Library Association (ALA) announced that there were a total of 1,269 censorship attempts made against libraries or books last year, the highest number since the investigation began more than 20 years ago.
Source: Donga
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.