Based on how the second hour of Wednesday’s CBS Mornings went, they showed they’re not interested in earning the trust of conservatives as they dedicate segments to far-left authors Amanda Gorman and Ibram X. Kendi to cry homophobia, transphobia, and racism over parents in Florida and other conservative locales wanting a role in the books and curriculum in the education system.
Co-host and Democratic donor Gayle King was ebullient with this hour of wokeness, gushing first over Gorman in a tease that she’d be speaking out after “her inaugural poem was restricted by a Florida school following a parent’s complaint,” another chapter in the “growing trend...of limiting access to books that deal with racism and other issues.”
In a second tease, King lamented Gorman’s work being “restricted,” adding the show would ask her “about the rise of book banning”. Gorman led off the second hour with King engaging in more disinformation, again referring to the rise in “banning books.”
Gorman’s case wasn’t any sort of ban, so all uses of “ban” in the segment were comical in nature given the book was assessed to be better tagged for middle schoolers and could be requested by students in the library’s media center.
Nonetheless, King swooned (click “expand”):
KING: We’re going to begin this hour with poet and best-selling author, that’s Amanda Gorman, who joins us for her first interview about banning books. Now you may remember, she captivated the country — and captivated is the word here — back in 2021 when she became the youngest poet at a presidential inauguration in U.S. history. We remember this day. Here’s a look.
[GORMAN CLIP]
KING: Still gives me goosebumps. Her poem, The Hill We Climb was later published as a book, and recently, a Florida elementary school restricted access to the book after one parent complained and filed a complaint. Access to three other books was also restricted including one that’s no longer in print. In a statement to CBS News, Miami-Dade County Public School said this: “No literature has been banned or removed and that the school determined ‘The Hill We Climb’ was better suited for middle school students.” Well last night, Amanda Gorman donated 1,200 books for a banned book giveaway event hosted by a Florida bookstore including her own and the two other restricted titles that are still in print.
Despite saying there that the book was “restricted” (which is still a stretch), King trashed the fact that “one parent” couldn’t leave well enough alone and instead complained about what they believed was something by Oprah.
Gorman responded to King’s question about how she felt upon hearing the change by saying she felt “a mix of shock and sadness” and “couldn’t understand” why her poem (taking a woke view) about America wasn’t spread far and wide due to this “significant moment in our democratic history.”
Gorman’s narcissism showed in adding that not spreading the poem amounted to “young people” being “erased” when they “deserve to see themselves.”
To his credit, co-host Tony Dokoupil repeatedly offered the view of right-of-center parents, noting hers and other “books are still available at every bookstore, your book, your words all over the internet” and “can be checked out a public libraries,” so it’s actually false to claim they’re “banned.”
Gorman briefly entertained that seeing as how the books aren’t subjected to a ritual burning, but went back to using the “banned” term, lamenting her book’s move to a media center was an undue burden.
Dokoupil kept pressing, citing “parent anxiety” over “lost control of” what their children are taught, but
Gorman didn’t want that and lashed out at the parent who raised concerns because such ilk are hindering “freedom to really absorb and love and enjoy literature”.
King and co-host Vladimir Duthiers then teed Gorman up to claim concerned were arguing it’s “inappropriate” for someone to be black or gay or an immigrant (click “expand”):
KING: And again, one person who allegedly didn’t read the book, that’s the thing that strikes me, too. She didn’t even read the book.
GORMAN: Right. It shows how little goes into some of these complaints. Exactly.
DUTHIERS: So Amanda, it’s Vlad. Speaking of the exposure of ideas and concepts that perhaps young children will be exposed to, through your book, “The Hill We Climb” or “The ABCs of Black History,” “Love to Langston,” what is your understanding of what people find inappropriate in those books?
GORMAN: So if you look at the research, the majority of books that have been banned fall into two camps. Either they have characters of color or talk about race in some way, or they have characters that are of the LGBTQ community or touch upon those themes in some way and I have to think about what messaging that sends to young readers. It is as if you’re saying, you are inappropriate if you are African-American. You are inappropriate if you are gay. You are inappropriate if you are an immigrant and there is this huge argument that it is about protecting and sheltering our children from themes that are just too advanced from them, but when you look at the majority of the books that have actually been banned, it’s more about creating a bookshelf that doesn’t represent the diverse facets of America.
BURLESON: Amanda, Nate here. I would like to end by reading some of your words, if you would allow me. To compose a country committed to all cultures, colors, characters, and conditions of men, and so we lift our gazes not to what stands between us, but what stands before us. We close the divide, because we know to put our country first, we must first put our differences aside. Amanda Gorman, thank you so much. We appreciate you joining us.
GORMAN: Thank you so much.
KING: That was beautifully done, Nate. I say, and the controversy with that is what? Come again?
DUTHIERS: Exactly.
As for the Kendi interview, he began by explaining he went the graphic novel route so he can get your kids hooked from an early age: “I’m just constantly thinking about ways to reach everyday people, young people and older people with this history of racist ideas.”
Again to his credit, Dokoupil presented the counter: “The topic of this book, ideas that go back to the founding and even before and Republicans on the campaign trail will say America is not a racist country. This book would say otherwise. What’s your response to that political conversation?”
The soft-talking authoritarian and CBS News contributor proclaimed America (except certain racial groups with certain viewpoints, of course) being deeply racist “isn’t actually...up for debate.”
Dokoupil kept presenting the Republican position, noting Kendi often “sounds like” racial equality isn’t progressing forward while “people on the right would say” we should “acknowledge...all of the racial progress and improvements.”
Kendi insisted there’s been a “progression of racism” through American life with a spectacularly dumb example of how “ voter suppression policies today are much more sophisticated”.
Kendi wound down by lamenting the work of black and LGBTQ authors have been deemed not appropriate for all ages. Thankfully, Dokoupil had one final pushback (click “expand”):
KENDI: I think that we create books like others do, that are going to be able to reach children, that children are going to be able to understand, in which they’re going to see themselves and unfortunately, particularly Black authors, authors of color, LGBTQ authors, our books are being banned as somehow not age appropriate. So, I mean, what does that say? You know, I think that’s one of the things that Amanda talked about. And I could also say that what’s really difficult for me as a parent is that books are being banned, but not guns.
DOKOUPIL: Yes. But you know, I think one of the questions people have is, what’s the role of school? Is it to educate? Yes. But is it also to create a citizen, a patriot of a country who has a stake in that country, believes in it, and people on the right will say, well, this doesn’t make people love America, this is the opposite of that.
KENDI: Well, if you read Stamped From the Beginning, you’ll see figures like Angela Davis and a whole host of other figures who are challenging critically this nation’s laws and policies and figures to transform it, to make it better.
CBS’s anti-racism and disinformation hour was made possible thanks to the support of advertisers such as Dove and Google. Follow the links to see their contact information at the MRC’s Conservatives Fight Back page.
To see the relevant transcripts from June 7, click here and here.
