The First Amendment: another book, another story
I was delighted to read that former political prisoner and poet Armando Valladares had written a children's book about the reality of growing up in Cuba. This will be an excellent alternative to the two other two books -- primarily the controversial Vamos a Cuba -- that was available in school libraries.
A few months back, the School Board (not particularly known for its wise decisions) voted -- against the advice of its in-house attorney -- to ban the first two books because they painted a too rosy picture of life on the island. A federal court ruled against that move and now the case is on appeal. All this is costing us taxpayers hundred of thousands of dollars, not to mention violating one of the most cherished freedoms given to us by the First Amendment. But that's life in Miami. We claim to support free speech, free press, etc, but heaven forbid somebody should disagree with us.
At that time I blogged that instead of trying to cirvumvent the U.S. Constitution, we should find a book that tells the truth and use all the material on hand to teach children critical thinking skills. Valladares' work may give teachers this alternative.
A few months back, the School Board (not particularly known for its wise decisions) voted -- against the advice of its in-house attorney -- to ban the first two books because they painted a too rosy picture of life on the island. A federal court ruled against that move and now the case is on appeal. All this is costing us taxpayers hundred of thousands of dollars, not to mention violating one of the most cherished freedoms given to us by the First Amendment. But that's life in Miami. We claim to support free speech, free press, etc, but heaven forbid somebody should disagree with us.
At that time I blogged that instead of trying to cirvumvent the U.S. Constitution, we should find a book that tells the truth and use all the material on hand to teach children critical thinking skills. Valladares' work may give teachers this alternative.
posted by Ana Veciana-Suarez at 8:31 AM
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1 Comments:
It is about perception, Cuban exiles would have you believe that given the chance, everyone in Cuba would leave, if that was the case, Fidel would not be in power. There are individuals who can see the beauty in Cuba and be able to write about it, as it should be, they should not have to fear retribution for the beliefs, something that the Cuban exile community strives on. they have had a long tradition of using any means necessary to silence the opposing points of view, even terrorism. Cuban migration to the U.S. is no longer about escaping to democracy, it is about economic gain, the images of exiles with big homes, expensive cars and a better life.
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