Woman Behind Ban Of Amanda Gorman’s Poem Only Read Excerpts
The Florida mom who challenged Amanda Gorman’s Inauguration poem “The Hill We Climb,” leading to its restriction at a Florida school, is not an avid Gorman reader.
According to USA Today, Daily Salinas admitted she only read the parts of Gorman’s material she didn’t agree with.
“I’m not an expert,” she said. “I’m not a reader. I’m not a book person. I’m a mom involved in my children’s education.”
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Salinas’ complaints about “The Hills We Climb” and other books resulted in the literature being “restricted'' at the Bob Graham Educational Center in Miami-Dade County. She told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA) that she challenged Gorman’s poem and other books because she didn’t feel they supported the curriculum.
Gorman, 25, dismissed the school’s claim that her poem is restricted - not banned - and is still available at middle schools.
"For those claiming my book wasn’t banned, just 'aged-up,' 'The Hill We Climb' is an inaugural poem for the world," Gorman said on Twitter. "Relocating it to older age group library shelves by its nature bars younger and equally deserving generations from accessing said moment in history."
A school panel decided that Gorman’s poem and three other books were better suited for middle-school students.
Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava invited Gorman to recite a reading of her poem in the county.
At New Roads School in Santa Monica, Calif., a school that Gorman once attended, students recited their own poetry at a rally in her honor.
"When our students see this book, they are reminded that they too are authors, thinkers, speakers, social justice advocates, champions for those who have been marginalized, and compassionate young people who want to listen and to be heard," the school said in an Instagram post caption.