Oscar-winning actress Julianne Moore is confused by the removal of her children’s book by President Donald Trump’s administration.
In an Instagram post on Sunday, Moore responded to the news that her book Freckleface Strawberry had reportedly been removed from schools within the Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA).
“It is a great shock for me to learn that my first book, Freckleface Strawberry, has been banned by the Trump Administration from schools run by the Department of Defense,” Moore wrote.
Since taking office, President Trump has been vocal about his opposition to diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives, issuing numerous executive orders to remove such programs. He has also compiled a list of banned terms circulating at the National Science Foundation and within scientific communities, which includes words like women, disability, bias, gender, and references to race and ethnicity, such as Black, Hispanic, and minority.
Find out more below.
What Is Freckleface Strawberry About?
Freckleface Strawberry is a “semi-autobiographical story” about a 7-year-old girl who has difficulty embracing her freckles.
“It is a book I wrote for my children and for other kids to remind them that we all struggle but are united by our humanity and our community,” Moore explained in her social media post.
When Was Freckleface Strawberry Released?
The book was released in 2007.
What Is the DoDEA?
According to the official DoDEA website, the Department of Defense Education Activity manages 161 accredited schools for military families, overseeing educational programs for students in pre-K through 12th grade on behalf of the Department of Defense.
In her post, Moore expressed being “particularly stunned” as she is “a proud graduate of Frankfurt American High School, a #DOD school that once operated in Frankfurt, Germany.”
Why Was Freckleface Strawberry Banned?
Last Monday, the Department of Defense issued a memo stating that it is reviewing library books “potentially related to gender ideology or topics on discriminatory equity ideology.”
This review of library materials is part of a broader evaluation of all “instructional resources,” according to the Defense Department, aimed at ensuring that its schools comply with President Trump’s recent executive orders on Ending Radical Indoctrination in K-12 Schools and Defending Women from Gender Ideology Extremism.
In the memo dated February 10, the Department of Defense disclosed that several books had been removed from classroom curriculums and flagged for further review, including Moore’s book and Becoming Nicole, the biography of transgender actress Nicole Maines, as reported by The Washington Post and The Guardian.
