Books are being challenged, restricted, removed, or outright banned from schools across the country—including the first-ever National Youth Poet Laureate Amanda Gorma's "The Hill We Climb."

Sign the petition: Add Amanda Gorman's book of poetry, "The Hill We Climb," to every recommended reading list in the country.

Dear MoveOn member,

Florida recently passed a law that allows schools to more easily ban, restrict, and censor books.1 Amanda Gorman—the first National Youth Poet Laureate who made history as the youngest inaugural poet when she read "The Hill We Climb" during President Joe Biden's inauguration in 2021—experienced the ramifications of the law firsthand when her book of poetry was shockingly challenged by a parent in the Miami-Dade County school district.2

The complaint claimed that the book of poetry was "not educational" and contained indirect hate speech.3 After a rushed review, the school restricted access to the book for younger audiences, deeming it inappropriate for elementary students. This is outrageous, and we won't stand for it. 

Our freedom to read—and to make decisions about what our students and children can read—is being stripped away by concerted attacks from right-wing parents and Republican legislators dead set on politicizing our schools. But we can make sure every student has the opportunity to be captivated by Gorman's powerful words and embrace the beauty of diverse literature. 

Add your name to the petition if you believe historic books like "The Hill We Climb" should not only be available to young readers but encouraged.

Fight back against censorship. Join us in calling for Amanda Gorman's "The Hill We Climb" to be added to recommended reading lists across the country. 

With Governor Ron DeSantis fanning the flames, a small but loud group of conservative parents have been galvanized under the new law and begun challenging books in schools across the state—disproportionately censoring LGBTQ+ books and books about race and racial diversity.4 It's the right wing's latest tactic designed to eradicate conversations students have in the classroom around genocide, white supremacy, gender, and sexuality.

We can't sit idly by while books disappear from our schools due to one-off complaints and rushed committee reviews. These complaints are being orchestrated by right-wing parents who want to take away our ability to read freely and learn a full, honest account of history.

We need to come together collectively to push back against challenges, restrictions, and bans whenever and wherever they pop up. We need to proactively work to increase the number of diverse books featured in our schools and libraries—and we need to fight to keep them on the shelves. 

Sign now to call on the Department of Education and state education departments, as well as librarians and teachers across the United States, to add "The Hill We Climb" to every associated recommended reading list in the country.

There are many "recommended reading lists" put out by schools, local libraries, youth-oriented nonprofits, newspapers, websites, TV hosts, and more.These lists often inform students and their families about what books to read. While Republican leaders may want to strip away Amanda Gorman's moving poetry, we are calling upon thousands of individuals and institutions to recommend it. 

Together, we can protect the freedom to read and ensure that important works like "The Hill We Climb" aren't hidden away or dismissed.

Thanks for all you do. 

–Aliya, Isbah, Chrissy, Jensine, and the rest of the team

Sources:

1. "Florida at center of debate as school book bans surge nationally," The New York Times, April 23, 2023 
https://act.moveon.org/go/174337?t=19&akid=355211%2E40999114%2Ek8tHoQ

2. "1 complaint led a Florida school to restrict access to Amanda Gorman's famous poem," NPR, May 25, 2023 
https://act.moveon.org/go/173156?t=22&akid=355211%2E40999114%2Ek8tHoQ

3. "Florida elementary school removes Amanda Gorman's poem from Biden's inauguration," ABC7, May 24, 2023 
https://act.moveon.org/go/174338?t=24&akid=355211%2E40999114%2Ek8tHoQ

4. "Who's Behind the Escalating Push to Ban Books? A New Report Has Answers," Education Week, September 28, 2022 
https://act.moveon.org/go/174339?t=26&akid=355211%2E40999114%2Ek8tHoQ

Want to support MoveOn's work? Voters just defied history and stopped a MAGA wave of extremism at the polls. But there is more work to do to end the filibuster, codify abortion rights into law, and defend our freedoms, our families, and our futures. We can accomplish all this and more, but only if we work together. 
 
Will you chip in monthly to power our critical work? 

Yes, I'll chip in $5 a month.

No, I'm sorry, I can't make a monthly donation.

PAID FOR BY MOVEON POLITICAL ACTION, https://pol.moveon.org/. MoveOn Political Action - PO Box 96142, Washington, D.C. 20090-6142. Not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee.

This email was sent to John xxxxxx on June 21, 2023. To change your email address or update your contact info, click here. MoveOn's privacy policy was recently updated. To read our new privacy policy, click here. To remove yourself from this list, click here.