5 Shocking Reasons Amanda Gorman’s ‘The Hill We Climb’ Was Restricted In Florida Schools

Jan 10, 2026 • minute read

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The controversy surrounding Amanda Gorman’s inaugural poem, "The Hill We Climb," continues to make headlines in late 2025, serving as a powerful flashpoint in the national debate over book challenges and censorship in schools. The widely celebrated work, which Gorman recited at President Joe Biden’s inauguration in January 2021, was not outright banned, but its restriction from elementary school library shelves in Miami-Dade County, Florida, ignited widespread outrage and a renewed focus on the criteria used to limit access to literature.

The core of the issue stems from a single, highly scrutinized parental complaint that incorrectly identified the author and made vague, serious claims about the poem's content. This singular challenge resulted in the book being moved to the middle school section of the media center, effectively barring younger students from accessing the work of the youngest inaugural poet in U.S. history.

The Life and Achievements of Amanda Gorman: A Comprehensive Profile

Amanda S. C. Gorman is an American poet and activist whose work centers on themes of oppression, feminism, race, and the African diaspora. Her meteoric rise to fame is a testament to her talent and powerful message.

Full Name: Amanda S. C. Gorman
Born: March 7, 1998
Birthplace: Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Family Background: Raised in West Los Angeles by a single mother, Joan Wicks, a 6th-grade English teacher. She has a twin sister, Gabrielle, who is an activist and filmmaker.
Education: Graduated from Harvard University in 2020 with a B.A. in Sociology.
Early Work: Published her first poetry collection, The One for Whom Food Is Not Enough, in 2015 at the age of 16.
Key Achievements:
- Named the first-ever National Youth Poet Laureate of the United States in 2017.
- Became the youngest inaugural poet in U.S. history when she recited "The Hill We Climb" at the inauguration of President Joe Biden in 2021.
- Author of the #1 New York Times bestsellers The Hill We Climb and the children’s book Change Sings: A Children’s Anthem.
Activism: Her work is deeply intertwined with social justice, climate change, and racial equality.

The Florida Controversy: Unpacking the Restriction of 'The Hill We Climb'

The controversy first came to light in 2023 at the Bob Graham Education Center, a K-8 school in Miami Lakes, Florida. The book version of "The Hill We Climb" was challenged by a single parent, leading to the Miami-Dade County school district's decision to restrict its access for elementary students.

The school's action was not a complete ban from the entire campus. Instead, the book was relocated from the elementary school media center to the middle school section, making it unavailable to students in kindergarten through fifth grade.

The incident quickly drew international attention from literary organizations, free speech advocates, and Amanda Gorman herself, highlighting the escalating tension between parental rights and intellectual freedom in education.

5 Key Issues That Fueled the Restriction

The parent's complaint, filed by Daisy Salinas, was part of a challenge against five books in the school's library. The formal written complaint contained several specific, and often misinformed, assertions that formed the basis for the poem's restriction.

1. The False Claim of Authorship

Perhaps the most bizarre detail of the complaint was the incorrect identification of the book's creator. The challenger wrongly listed Oprah Winfrey as the "author publisher" of the poem. Winfrey, in fact, only wrote the foreword for Gorman’s book. This fundamental error immediately cast doubt on the thoroughness of the review process and the challenger's actual familiarity with the work.

2. Allegations of "Indirect Hate Messages"

The parent’s primary stated reason for the challenge was the presence of "indirect hate messages" within the poem. This vague and unsubstantiated claim was applied to a poem that is broadly seen as a message of unity, hope, and resilience following a period of national division. Critics of the restriction argue that this phrase is a catch-all used to target works by Black authors that discuss themes of American history and identity.

3. Misguided References to Critical Race Theory (CRT)

The complaint also cited concerns about the poem referencing Critical Race Theory (CRT), a legal and academic framework that examines systemic racism. The poem itself does not explicitly mention CRT, but its themes of striving for a better America, acknowledging past struggles, and calling for civic action were apparently enough for the challenger to categorize it as promoting divisive concepts deemed inappropriate under Florida's current educational guidelines.

4. The School’s Justification: "Better Suited for Middle School"

Following the public outcry, the Miami-Dade school district defended the decision by stating that the book was simply "better suited for middle school students." This official justification reframed the restriction as an age-appropriateness decision rather than an ideological ban. However, organizations like PEN America and free speech advocates criticized this reasoning, noting that the poem's uplifting language and accessible themes are well within the grasp of older elementary students.

5. Part of a Larger Wave of Florida Book Bans

The restriction of Gorman's work is not an isolated incident but is situated within a broader, highly politicized movement of book challenges across Florida and the United States. The parent who challenged Gorman’s poem also challenged other books that celebrate Black history, including “The ABCs of Black History.” This context suggests that the challenge was part of a targeted effort to remove literature focusing on diverse perspectives and racial themes from elementary school libraries.

The Ripple Effect: Gorman's Response and National Debate

Amanda Gorman responded forcefully to the restriction, stating she was "gutted" and vowing to fight back against the wave of Florida book bans. She highlighted the irony of a poem about unity and hope being restricted under the guise of promoting hate.

The incident has significantly boosted the poem's profile and sales, a phenomenon often referred to as the "Streisand effect," where attempts at censorship inadvertently draw more attention to the work.

The public debate continues to center on the power of a single complaint to influence curriculum and library access for thousands of students. The case of "The Hill We Climb" has become a symbol for those who view the challenges as an assault on intellectual freedom and a political effort to sanitize educational materials of diverse voices and complex topics like systemic injustice and American history. The enduring message of the poem—that there is always a hill to climb toward a better future—now resonates even more strongly in the context of the very censorship it faced.

5 Shocking Reasons Amanda Gorman’s ‘The Hill We Climb’ Was Restricted in Florida Schools

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