Broward County Public Schools has scrapped a parent orientation event that was set to feature Caldecott Medal-winning author Vashti Harrison as its marquee speaker, after questions surfaced about a 2024 letter she signed calling for a ceasefire in Gaza. The gathering had been scheduled for September 17 at 7 p.m. at the African-American Research Library and Cultural Center on Sistrunk Boulevard in Fort Lauderdale, and the district also canceled associated school field trips tied to the event.
The event was organized under the district's Federal Programs Parent Training Academy, part of the federally funded Title I program that supports outreach to families in schools with high concentrations of low-income students, according to Broward County Public Schools. It was also a joint effort with the Broward County Library system, which runs the Sistrunk Boulevard venue, according to After October 7, the Substack publication that first raised questions about Harrison's selection. Broward County Public Schools issued its cancellation statement on X, apologizing for what it called a speaker-selection issue and saying it was unaware of Harrison's previous statements when it booked her, per Miami New Times.
Who Is Vashti Harrison
Harrison is a decorated, New York Times bestselling children's author known for writing and illustrating the picture book Big, along with Little Leaders: Bold Women in Black History and Hair Love, as reported by Miami New Times. In 2024, she won the Caldecott Medal for Big, becoming the first Black woman in history to receive the award, according to CalArts, which also notes the book received Coretta Scott King honors and was a National Book Award finalist. Her broader body of work includes illustrating Lupita Nyong'o's Sulwe, per Hachette Book Group.
The controversy centers on Harrison's involvement in KidLit4Ceasefire, an author-led initiative that urged then-President Joe Biden to push for a ceasefire to end the bloodshed in Gaza. The letter, published in January 2024, accused Israel of acts of genocide and referred to what it called Israel's documented intent to destroy all Palestinian people, as well as the mass killings and the growing number of disfigured and slain children as fighting continued in Gaza, according to the letter cited by Literary Hub. It also asserted that South Africa's legal petition to the International Court of Justice was irrefutable, a claim made prior to any formal rulings by the court. The fighting in Gaza followed the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack and continued into 2024.
A Substack Writer's Role In The Cancellation
Harrison publicly promoted her participation in late January 2024, posting on Instagram that she was proudly 1 of 7,000 voices behind the letter, a post that resurfaced when Substack writer Kevin Deutsch questioned the district's speaker choice. Deutsch, who runs After October 7 to publish watchdog reporting on Jewish issues and anti-Israel bias following the 2023 attacks, said he alerted Broward County Public Schools to Harrison's history and posted a flyer for the event on his Substack, per New Times. He described Harrison's participation in KidLit4Ceasefire as an indicator of anti-Zionism and anti-Israel bias and accused her of taking part in an anti-Israel campaign.
Broward County Public Schools has not disputed that it scheduled Harrison as the marquee speaker for the parent orientation, and it cited her previous statements in announcing the cancellation of an unnamed speaker and unspecified event before New Times confirmed the speaker was Harrison. The district said it plans to reschedule the event with a different speaker and will exercise greater diligence in selecting speakers for future events, according to Miami New Times. Harrison did not respond to emailed questions from New Times by press time, and district officials did not return the outlet's emailed request for clarification by press time either.
State Law And District Pressures
Florida law requires public school instructional materials and events to remain nonproselytizing and free from political bias, and 2019 state legislation explicitly prohibits antisemitism in public education settings, according to Online Sunshine, the state's official statutes portal. Those guidelines around guest speakers and classroom neutrality form the legal backdrop against which the district's abrupt cancellation is playing out.
The episode comes as Broward County Public Schools works to shore up flagging enrollment and deepen family engagement. The district projects its K-5 enrollment will fall from 75,437 students in the 2025-26 school year to 73,329 in 2026-27, part of a broader decline pushing leaders to expand community outreach efforts, Hoodline previously reported. Superintendent Dr. Howard Hepburn has led the district since May 2024, steering it through school closure discussions, budget restructurings, and the enrollment slide that has made parent-facing programs like the Title I orientation a priority for administrators.
Open questions remain about who within Broward County Public Schools originally approved Harrison's appearance, whether any contractual fees were incurred before the cancellation, and how the district intends to revise its vetting process going forward. Neither the district nor Harrison had addressed those specifics by press time, according to New Times.
