Latest news with #IKnowWhytheCagedBirdSings
The Hill
18-06-2025
- Politics
- The Hill
Bill Clinton says he wondered if Trump administration might try to ban his latest book
Former President Bill Clinton says that as the latest thriller he co-authored with James Patterson was being published, he wondered whether the Trump administration would try to come up with a reason 'to ban it.' 'I was actually trying to think if there was some reason they could think of to ban it,' the ex-commander in chief said during an interview alongside Patterson Tuesday on 'The Daily Show.' Clinton's comment came in response to a question from host Jordan Klepper on if he knew when the book, 'The First Gentleman,' was 'going to be banned by the Trump administration.' 'It wouldn't be the White House, but in certain counties, they may all of a sudden,' best-selling scribe Patterson, a vocal critic of book bans, told Klepper. 'They don't need a reason,' Patterson, 78, added. 'One person goes in [and says] 'I don't like the book.' And, 'OK, we'll ban it,'' he said. 'So it'll probably be banned in a couple of counties.' Patterson was one of nearly two dozen authors who donated millions to the free expression organization PEN America in 2023 to push back against book banning efforts. A year earlier, more than 1,500 individual titles were removed from K-12 schools across the country, according to PEN America. 'I don't like it. It's a bad deal,' Clinton, 78, said of book bans. 'Maya Angelou, who read the inaugural poem at my first inauguration — wrote it, and read it and was a great human being — the first thing the White House did was to ban her book, 'I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings,'' Clinton recalled. Angelou's 1969 autobiography was reportedly one of nearly 400 books that was pulled from the U.S. Naval Academy library in April as part of an effort to remove titles containing diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) content. Calling it a 'magnificent book,' Clinton reflected on Angelou's personal story about a child who 'loses the ability to speak for a couple of years because she was abused, and then she blooms.' 'I couldn't figure out why that was a problem,' Clinton said. 'I don't like book banning,' the 42nd president added. 'I wasn't ever for banning books that were full of things they said about me that weren't true,' Clinton said. 'It never occurred to me that I should stop you from reading them.'
Business Upturn
09-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Business Upturn
Love Island UK Season 12: 10 surprising facts you didn't know about host Maya Jama
Love Island UK Season 12 is set to heat up screens with its premiere on ITV2 and ITVX on June 9, 2025, and streaming on Hulu in the U.S. starting June 12. At the heart of the drama is the charismatic host, Maya Jama, who's been steering the villa's romantic chaos since 2023. Known for her vibrant energy and stunning looks, Maya has become a fan favorite. But there's more to her than meets the eye! Here are 10 surprising facts about Maya Jama that will make you love her even more. 1. Maya Jama Was Named After a Legendary Poet Maya's unique name comes from the iconic American poet and civil rights activist Maya Angelou. Her mother, Sadie, who was just 18 when she gave birth, was inspired by Angelou's work, particularly I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings , during her pregnancy. This meaningful namesake reflects Maya's vibrant and expressive personality. 2. She's of Somali and Swedish Descent Born in Bristol, England, on August 14, 1994, Maya is of mixed heritage. Her father is Somali, and her mother is of Swedish and Scottish descent, making her a trailblazer as the first non-white host of Love Island UK . She's spoken about the significance of this milestone, hoping it opens doors for others from similar backgrounds. 3. A Tough Childhood Shaped Her Resilience Maya's early life wasn't easy. Her father was in and out of prison for violent offenses, leading her to cut ties with him at age 12. She explored this challenging upbringing in a 2017 TV documentary, reflecting on how a supportive environment helped her thrive despite the hardships. 4. She Started Her Career as a Teen Maya kicked off her media journey as a teenager, hosting a weekly music video countdown on After moving to London at 16 to pursue her dreams, she hustled her way through the industry, often surviving on £1 chicken-shop meals. Her grit paid off as she landed roles with MTV and Sky UK. 5. Acting Was Her First Ambition Before becoming a TV presenter, Maya dreamed of being an actress. She auditioned for the teen drama Skins at 15, confidently telling friends she'd be famous—only to miss out on the role. Recently, she's revisiting this passion, landing a role in Netflix's The Gentlemen Season 2, playing a glamorous wife in Guy Ritchie's gritty drama. 6. She's a Fashion and Beauty Icon Maya's style is a major draw for fans. She's modeled for brands like Adidas, Maybelline, and Dolce & Gabbana, and even replaced Kate Moss in a multi-million-pound Rimmel deal. On Instagram, with over 3.2 million followers, she shares skincare and haircare tips, including how to keep hair healthy while wearing wigs. 7. High-Profile Romances Kept Her in the Headlines Maya's love life has sparked plenty of tabloid buzz. She dated British rapper Stormzy from 2014 to 2019, briefly rekindled their romance in 2023, and split again in 2024. She was also engaged to NBA star Ben Simmons in 2021, but the couple parted ways due to busy schedules. Despite rumors linking her to Leonardo DiCaprio, she denied any romance. 8. She's a Football Fanatic A passionate football supporter, Maya cheers for both Bristol Rovers and West Ham United. In 2024, she was announced as a manager for one of the 12 teams in the Baller League UK, a six-a-side football league, showcasing her love for the sport. 9. Maya Hosted the BRIT Awards and Joined The Masked Singer Beyond Love Island , Maya's hosting gigs are impressive. She co-hosted the 2024 BRIT Awards with Clara Amfo and Roman Kemp and joined The Masked Singer UK panel in 2025, replacing Rita Ora. Her bubbly personality and sharp wit make her a natural fit for these high-profile roles. 10. She's Promised 'More Twists Than Ever' for Season 12 Maya is hyping up Love Island UK Season 12 as a game-changer. In the trailer, she demands 'more drama, more bombshells, more break-ups, more make-ups,' and teases the first-ever American bombshell entering the villa. With the show celebrating its 10th anniversary, expect a summer of surprises under her watch.
Yahoo
08-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Naval Academy Reinstates Hundreds of ‘DEI' Books
This article was originally published in The 19th. This story was originally reported by Nadra Nittle and Mariel Padilla of The 19th. When the U.S. Naval Academy stripped 381 books tied to diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) from its library, retired Commander William Marks saw more than censorship — he saw a threat to the Navy's future. But last week, after immense public outcry, most of those books returned to Nimitz Library shelves. 'Do you believe it?' asked Marks, a 1996 alum who spearheaded a campaign to maintain student access to the books. 'What great news. We're thrilled.' Get stories like this delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for The 74 Newsletter All the books the academy removed in early April had one thing in common: Officials flagged them for DEI themes. They include Maya Angelou's 'I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings,' Harper Lee's 'To Kill a Mockingbird' and Elizabeth Reis' 'Bodies in Doubt: An American History of Intersex.' The purge followed directives from Trump-appointed Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who has called DEI initiatives 'divisive.' Determined to ensure that students could still read the works, Marks began crowdfunding to replace them on April 5. 'The motto of the Naval Academy is 'from knowledge, seapower,'' said Marks, who served as a Navy commander for 22 years. 'What we mean is without knowledge, education and intellectual growth, we will never become a strong Navy. So this contradiction really struck me, that instead of encouraging knowledge and encouraging discussion, the Pentagon was actually suppressing knowledge and limiting discussion.' About 4,400 students, members of the Brigade of Midshipmen, attend the Naval Academy while on active duty in the U.S. Navy. After graduation, they are required to serve in the Navy or Marine Corps for at least five years. Women represent more than a quarter of the student body, while men make up over 70 percent of midshipmen. Initially, Marks hoped to fundraise $3,810, which he figured would be enough to cover the cost of the books pulled from Nimitz Library. Since Marks lives in Arlington, Texas, he tapped Old Fox Books & Coffeehouse in Annapolis, Maryland, home to the academy, to be his local partner. Donations have far exceeded his goal, topping $70,000. Jinny Amundson, an owner of Old Fox Books, said by the time she got the call from Marks, she had already heard about the books removed and had started compiling a list of them to purchase for the store's inventory. 'For a bookseller, the idea of censoring any kind of books just gives us heart palpitations,' Amundson said. 'And it's our community. The [midshipmen] think of our shop as a place that they love and one of their sort of unofficial bookstores. We have the mids, the faculty, the administration that come in and think of our space as their own.' Amundson said she understood that the removal of books was an order, which has to be followed within the military. But she found the loophole: Her bookshop could store the titles targeted. It is conveniently located about a block away from the Naval Academy gates. The day before the institution's May 23 graduation, Amundson learned that most of the pulled books were back on the library's shelves. She went to see for herself, took pictures of the books and sent them to many of the authors, who had personally contacted her when the restrictions on the works took effect. Now, just 20 books are being sequestered pending a formal compliance review, according to the Department of Defense. A Navy spokesperson did not provide details to The 19th about those titles. Ultimately, a narrowing of the search terms used to flag books for review resulted in the return of hundreds of books to the Nimitz Library, as the Department of Defense first issued broad guidance about book removals to the military services. 'What struck me was the very arbitrary and even cruel nature of the books that got removed,' Marks said. 'These books were a cross-section of American culture. They were important to the discussion of American history.' In an updated May 9 memo, the Pentagon instructed the military services to use 20 search terms to pinpoint books in their academic libraries that might need to be set aside because of how they engage race or gender. Among those terms were affirmative action; critical race theory; gender-affirming care; transgender people; and diversity, equity and inclusion. People across the political spectrum expressed alarm about the book restrictions, which have been widely opposed, according to Marks. 'We really shouldn't be banning any books,' he said. That includes those with unpopular, or even offensive, ideas like Adolf Hitler's 'Mein Kampf,' which managed to evade the Naval Academy's book purge, he noted. He calls his effort to maintain the midshipmen's access to all books in the Nimitz Library Operation Caged Bird, after the 1969 Angelou memoir that was likely targeted because it describes racial segregation and child abuse. The name Operation Caged Bird also alludes to the feeling of being restrained by censorship. 'I almost felt like I could feel the bars closing in on me in terms of what I can read and can't read,' Marks said. 'That didn't sit right.' Marks' GoFundMe campaign has raised enough money to supply 1,000 books in 2025 and fund a three-year initiative at Old Fox, ensuring midshipmen can access any contested title for free. 'If you're a midshipman and you're writing an essay paper and there's a book you can't find, maybe it's been removed or banned, you can call them, and they'll order it for you, and then you just pick it up free of charge,' Marks said. He's also coordinating with other service academies, anticipating similar battles. At the Navy's three other educational institutions, fewer than 20 books have been flagged as potentially incompatible with the military's mission, as have a few dozen at the Air Force Academy and other Air Force academic institutions. The Army has also been ordered to assess library books at its educational institutions, but a spokesperson from West Point told The 19th that no books have been pulled at this time, as its compliance review is still underway. The return of nearly 400 books to the Naval Academy library coincides with a pending lawsuit accusing Department of Defense-run schools of violating K-12 students' constitutional rights for limiting books and subject matter related to gender, race and sexuality. The American Civil Liberties Union filed E.K. v. Department of Defense Education Activity in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia on behalf of 12 students. A hearing will take place June 3. The ACLU seeks a preliminary injunction to give the youth access to materials it argues have been restricted to align with President Donald Trump's executive orders and political agenda. Amundson said she was pleasantly surprised that it took just weeks for the books to be returned to the Naval Academy. 'I believe that what happened and the response that was given in Annapolis — I think that made the administration be much more careful this time around as they're going for these other libraries, the other Department of Defense libraries around the world,' she said. Amundson said using the funds raised from the GoFundMe campaign, the bookstore was able to give away nearly 500 books in the days leading up to the Naval Academy graduation. For weeks, letters of support piled up and people stopped by the bookstore with gratitude, some even driving from hours away to show their support in person. In addition to Operation Caged Bird, Amundson said there were 'powerful arms at work.' There was pushback on the book removals from members of Congress, the Naval Academy's Board of Visitors and the superintendent — who wrote an open letter signed by hundreds of alumni. 'For right now, this was a huge win for us,' Amundson said.
Yahoo
30-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Hundreds of ‘DEI' books are back at the Naval Academy. An alum and a bookshop fought their removal.
When the U.S. Naval Academy stripped 381 books tied to diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) from its library, retired Commander William Marks saw more than censorship — he saw a threat to the Navy's future. But last week, after immense public outcry, most of those books returned to Nimitz Library shelves. 'Do you believe it?' asked Marks, a 1996 alum who spearheaded a campaign to maintain student access to the books. 'What great news. We're thrilled.' All the books the academy removed in early April had one thing in common: Officials flagged them for DEI themes. They include Maya Angelou's 'I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings,' Harper Lee's 'To Kill a Mockingbird' and Elizabeth Reis' 'Bodies in Doubt: An American History of Intersex.' The purge followed directives from Trump-appointed Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who has called DEI initiatives 'divisive.' Determined to ensure that students could still read the works, Marks began crowdfunding to replace them on April 5. 'The motto of the Naval Academy is 'from knowledge, seapower,'' said Marks, who served as a Navy commander for 22 years. 'What we mean is without knowledge, education and intellectual growth, we will never become a strong Navy. So this contradiction really struck me, that instead of encouraging knowledge and encouraging discussion, the Pentagon was actually suppressing knowledge and limiting discussion.' About 4,400 students, members of the Brigade of Midshipmen, attend the Naval Academy while on active duty in the U.S. Navy. After graduation, they are required to serve in the Navy or Marine Corps for at least five years. Women represent more than a quarter of the student body, while men make up over 70 percent of midshipmen. Initially, Marks hoped to fundraise $3,810, which he figured would be enough to cover the cost of the books pulled from Nimitz Library. Since Marks lives in Arlington, Texas, he tapped Old Fox Books & Coffeehouse in Annapolis, Maryland, home to the academy, to be his local partner. Donations have far exceeded his goal, topping $70,000. Jinny Amundson, an owner of Old Fox Books, said by the time she got the call from Marks, she had already heard about the books removed and had started compiling a list of them to purchase for the store's inventory. 'For a bookseller, the idea of censoring any kind of books just gives us heart palpitations,' Amundson said. 'And it's our community. The [midshipmen] think of our shop as a place that they love and one of their sort of unofficial bookstores. We have the mids, the faculty, the administration that come in and think of our space as their own.' Amundson said she understood that the removal of books was an order, which has to be followed within the military. But she found the loophole: Her bookshop could store the titles targeted. It is conveniently located about a block away from the Naval Academy gates. The day before the institution's May 23 graduation, Amundson learned that most of the pulled books were back on the library's shelves. She went to see for herself, took pictures of the books and sent them to many of the authors, who had personally contacted her when the restrictions on the works took effect. Now, just 20 books are being sequestered pending a formal compliance review, according to the Department of Defense. A Navy spokesperson did not provide details to The 19th about those titles. Ultimately, a narrowing of the search terms used to flag books for review resulted in the return of hundreds of books to the Nimitz Library, as the Department of Defense first issued broad guidance about book removals to the military services. 'What struck me was the very arbitrary and even cruel nature of the books that got removed,' Marks said. 'These books were a cross-section of American culture. They were important to the discussion of American history.' In an updated May 9 memo, the Pentagon instructed the military services to use 20 search terms to pinpoint books in their academic libraries that might need to be set aside because of how they engage race or gender. Among those terms were affirmative action; critical race theory; gender-affirming care; transgender people; and diversity, equity and inclusion. People across the political spectrum expressed alarm about the book restrictions, which have been widely opposed, according to Marks. 'We really shouldn't be banning any books,' he said. That includes those with unpopular, or even offensive, ideas like Adolf Hitler's 'Mein Kampf,' which managed to evade the Naval Academy's book purge, he noted. He calls his effort to maintain the midshipmen's access to all books in the Nimitz Library Operation Caged Bird, after the 1969 Angelou memoir that was likely targeted because it describes racial segregation and child abuse. The name Operation Caged Bird also alludes to the feeling of being restrained by censorship. 'I almost felt like I could feel the bars closing in on me in terms of what I can read and can't read,' Marks said. 'That didn't sit right.' Marks' GoFundMe campaign has raised enough money to supply 1,000 books in 2025 and fund a three-year initiative at Old Fox, ensuring midshipmen can access any contested title for free. 'If you're a midshipman and you're writing an essay paper and there's a book you can't find, maybe it's been removed or banned, you can call them, and they'll order it for you, and then you just pick it up free of charge,' Marks said. He's also coordinating with other service academies, anticipating similar battles. At the Navy's three other educational institutions, fewer than 20 books have been flagged as potentially incompatible with the military's mission, as have a few dozen at the Air Force Academy and other Air Force academic institutions. The Army has also been ordered to assess library books at its educational institutions, but a spokesperson from West Point told The 19th that no books have been pulled at this time, as its compliance review is still underway. The return of nearly 400 books to the Naval Academy library coincides with a pending lawsuit accusing Department of Defense-run schools of violating K-12 students' constitutional rights for limiting books and subject matter related to gender, race and sexuality. The American Civil Liberties Union filed E.K. v. Department of Defense Education Activity in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia on behalf of 12 students. A hearing will take place June 3. The ACLU seeks a preliminary injunction to give the youth access to materials it argues have been restricted to align with President Donald Trump's executive orders and political agenda. Amundson said she was pleasantly surprised that it took just weeks for the books to be returned to the Naval Academy. 'I believe that what happened and the response that was given in Annapolis — I think that made the administration be much more careful this time around as they're going for these other libraries, the other Department of Defense libraries around the world,' she said. Amundson said using the funds raised from the GoFundMe campaign, the bookstore was able to give away nearly 500 books in the days leading up to the Naval Academy graduation. For weeks, letters of support piled up and people stopped by the bookstore with gratitude, some even driving from hours away to show their support in person. In addition to Operation Caged Bird, Amundson said there were 'powerful arms at work.' There was pushback on the book removals from members of Congress, the Naval Academy's Board of Visitors and the superintendent — who wrote an open letter signed by hundreds of alumni. 'For right now, this was a huge win for us,' Amundson said. The post Hundreds of 'DEI' books are back at the Naval Academy. An alum and a bookshop fought their removal. appeared first on The 19th. News that represents you, in your inbox every weekday. Subscribe to our free, daily newsletter.
Black America Web
26-05-2025
- Politics
- Black America Web
Naval Academy Returns Over 300 Books to Libraries Initially Removed for DEI Concerns
Source: Lima / Getty Over the last four months, the Trump administration has launched an all-out assault on anything it believes promotes Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) within the federal government. This makes it somewhat surprising that the U.S. Naval Academy announced that the majority of the books it pulled from the school's libraries under the new anti-DEI mandates have been returned to bookshelves. ABC News reports that of the 381 books that were initially pulled, only 20 have been held back for further review by a Department of Defense (DOD) panel. The return of the books came as a result of a May 9 memo from the Pentagon that listed May 21 as the date the military branches were to finalize and submit their list of books to align with the Trump administration's ongoing DEI purge within the federal government. It appears the primary reason so many books were pulled was that there wasn't a standardized criterion for what terms and content the DOD was searching for, so the Navy implemented its own criteria. Considering Maya Angelou's 'I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings,' and Maia Kobabe's 'Gender Queer' were among the books pulled, that criteria seems to have boiled down to anything Black and/or queer. From ABC News: The 20 official search terms included in the May 9 memo included: affirmative action; allyship; anti-racism; critical race theory; discrimination; diversity in the workplace; diversity, equity, and inclusion; gender affirming care; gender dysphoria; gender expression; gender identity; gender nonconformity; gender transition; transgender military personnel; transgender people; transsexualism; transsexuals; and white privilege. 'The Navy has reviewed library collections at all Department of Navy educational institutions to ensure compliance with directives issued by the President and Department of Defense,' Cmdr. Tim Hawkins, a Navy spokesman, said in a statement on Thursday. 'The Navy has identified and sequestered library materials potentially incompatible with the military's core mission, pending the Defense Department's formal review.' The Navy wasn't the only branch of the armed forces to remove books, as the Air Force reported removing about 20 books from their libraries, while the Army hasn't publicly reported how many books it removed from its libraries. The book removals were just one of the many regressive steps the armed forces have taken in recent months as a result of President Trump's executive order ending DEI initiatives within the military. In April, the DOD announced a task force designed to ensure military installations and academies are complying with the elimination of DEI initiatives. I'm generally anti-American imperialism, but I truly don't understand how alienating communities that have historically served their country, even when this country didn't serve them, makes our military stronger. While the books have been returned, the way the Navy has been moving in recent months leaves much to be desired. Earlier this week it was revealed that several Navy SEALs and platoon leaders are facing disciplinary actions for creating and distributing racist memes targeting a Black sailor in their platoon. In April, Ryan Holiday, an author who has spoken at the Naval Academy several times, had a speaking engagement with Naval students canceled an hour before he was set to appear when he refused to remove slides in his presentation that were critical of the book removals. It's kind of funny that the DEI Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is spearheading these changes to implement a 'warrior culture,' yet that culture seems to revolve entirely around erasing ideas that offend you, alienating non-white, non-heteronormative service members, and having the thinnest of skins when faced with mild criticism. But hey, at least the guy didn't leak classified operations planning to a journalist and then throw a tantrum when called on it. Oh wait. SEE ALSO: California Teen Spurs Outrage With Racist Promposal Louisiana Senate Vetoes Retrial Bill For Split Jury Convictions SEE ALSO Naval Academy Returns Over 300 Books to Libraries Initially Removed for DEI Concerns was originally published on Black America Web Featured Video CLOSE
