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The literary legacy of Maya Angelou is now formally part of a growing legal challenge to Utah’s school book restrictions. Angelou’s estate has joined a lawsuit already backed by the estate of Kurt Vonnegut, opposing the state’s controversial Sensitive Materials Law and its impact on access to classic literature.

The case, filed by the American Civil Liberties Union, was amended after two Utah school districts removed I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings from classrooms and libraries. State officials are also weighing whether to extend the ban statewide, a move that has raised alarm among authors, publishers, and free-speech advocates.

Utah’s Sensitive Materials Law, first passed in 2022 and expanded in 2024, requires public schools to pull books deemed “inappropriate,” including those containing any reference to sex. Critics argue the law’s broad language has led to the removal of important works that explore identity, race, trauma, and personal history—often without meaningful context or educational review.

Stephanie Floyd-Johnson, Angelou’s daughter-in-law and the manager of Caged Bird Legacy, said the decision to join the lawsuit reflects Angelou’s lifelong commitment to truth and human dignity. She emphasized that restricting access to stories like Angelou’s undermines the very values literature is meant to uphold: understanding, resilience, and empathy.

By entering the case, the Angelou estate strengthens the constitutional argument that such bans infringe on First Amendment protections. Supporters of the lawsuit stress that this is not only about individual titles, but about preserving students’ ability to encounter challenging ideas and voices that have shaped American literature.

As the legal battle continues, the case is becoming a high-profile test of how far states can go in regulating what young readers are allowed to read—and who gets to decide which stories are considered too dangerous for the classroom.