The Bob Graham Education Center in Miami-Dade County, Florida, faced controversy when it restricted access to Amanda Gorman's inaugural poem, "The Hill We Climb." Gorman, the youngest inaugural poet in US history, recited the poem at President Biden's inauguration in 2021. The school deemed the poem "better suited" for older students after a parent complained about its content.
In response to the school's decision, Gorman expressed disappointment and described herself as "gutted." She had written the poem with the intention of allowing young people to see themselves in a historical moment. Gorman received numerous letters and videos from children inspired by her poem to create their own works, and she argued that denying children the chance to explore literature and find their voices amounted to a violation of their right to free thought and free speech.
The Miami-Dade County school district clarified that the poem had been relocated to a different section of the library at the Bob Graham Education Center but insisted that no literature, including books or poems, had been banned or removed. Miami-Dade County Public Schools is the fourth-largest school district in the United States in terms of enrollment.
