Letter to The Editor: Thank you for speaking truth to power

By Ted Anderson

January 8, 2026

I really appreciate the article about Archer’s recent experience with the Poetry Out Loud program and the brilliant response: Poetry Allowed. My school has participated in the Poetry Out Loud Program in the past, including producing the 2016 Minnesota state champion. In recent years I’ve used the Poetry Out Loud website to discover an array of complex, engaging and diverse poems to read and study with my students. That is, until now. I was shocked to find the once bountiful collection of poems completely gutted. The flimsy justification of having selected poems to celebrate the nation’s 250th anniversary is a lie. The truth is that the Trump administration is enacting a white supremacist, anti-trans agenda and the censorship of diverse voices has begun. Thank you, Archer School and The Oracle for speaking truth to power.

The views expressed here belong to the letter writer and do not represent the views of Harbor City International School.

letter to the editor

About the Contributor

Maia Alvarez, Features Editor

Maia Alvarez joined The Oracle as a staff reporter in 2021 and became the Multimedia Editor in 2022. In 2023, she became the Features Editor. She was on the leadership board for InvenTeam, led the Best Buddies club, and was a member of the Speech and Debate team. Outside of school, she practiced taekwondo as a second-degree black belt and volunteered as a tutor. She graduated in 2024.

Comments (0)

As part of Archer’s active and engaged community, the Editorial Board welcomes reader comments and debate and encourages community members to take ownership of their opinions by using their names when commenting. However, in order to ensure a diverse range of opinions, the editorial board does allow anonymous comments on articles as long as the perspective cannot be obtained elsewhere, and they are respectful and relevant. We do require a valid, verified email address, which will not be displayed, but will be used to confirm your comments. Because we are a 6-12 school, the Editorial Board reserves the right to omit profanity and content that we deem inappropriate for our audience. We do not publish comments that serve primarily as an advertisement or to promote a specific product. Comments are moderated and may be edited in accordance with the Oracle’s profanity policy, but the Editorial Board will not change the intent or message of comments. They will appear once approved.

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