Children's author Vashti Harrison has been disinvited from a Florida school district event following backlash over her social media post supporting a Gaza ceasefire.
Broward County Public Schools canceled the entire presentation and associated field trips scheduled for September 17 at the African American Research Library & Cultural Center in Fort Lauderdale, issuing a public apology on Thursday.
The 38-year-old New York Times bestselling author and award-winning illustrator had been selected as a keynote speaker for the function organized by the district's Federal Programs department.
District cancellation and public apology
Concerns were raised after a post from January 2024 surfaced online showing Harrison expressing support for a petition calling for a ceasefire in Gaza.
In a statement issued on Thursday, Broward County Public Schools stated that officials were unaware of Harrison's prior comments when she was chosen for the event.
"The District was unaware of previous statements made by the speaker at the time of the selection," BCPS wrote. "The event, including associated school field trips, is being canceled and will be rescheduled with a different speaker."
Although the school district did not explicitly name Harrison or the specific event in its public statement, a spokesperson for the Broward County Public Library system confirmed to the Miami Herald that Harrison's appearance had been canceled.
Before its removal, the official event listing on the district website invited guests to join the Federal Programs department to welcome Harrison to "inspire young minds to dream Big." The listing noted that food would be provided, but the registration link has since been deactivated.
Journalist inquiry and vetting questions
The event cancellation followed a report published by Kevin Deutsch, a local reporter who operates the Substack After October 7.
Deutsch took responsibility for drawing public attention to Harrison's involvement in what he described as "an anti-Israel campaign that accused the Jewish state of 'genocide' and falsely claimed it sought to 'destroy all Palestinian people,' among other false and unsupported claims."
Deutsch reported that he pressed Broward County Public Schools with questions regarding the selection and vetting process for the event.
He asked "who selected and approved Harrison, what vetting was conducted, whether officials knew about her involvement in the campaign and its false claims about Israel, whether she was being paid, whether Title I or other public money was being used, and whether the district would reconsider her participation."
In response to the inquiry, BCPS spokesperson Cathleen Brennan told the reporter that the district had contacted its "subject matter experts" and that their office would provide information once it became available.
The KidLit4Ceasefire petition
In her January 2024 Instagram post, Harrison stated that she was one of 7,000 voices who signed the KidLit4Ceasefire letter, which gathered signatures from children's authors, illustrators, agents, editors, and other publishing professionals across the United States and beyond.
The letter addressed to then-President Joe Biden expressed concern over military actions in Gaza.
"Dear President Biden, We've come together as children's authors, illustrators, agents, editors, and other publishing professionals across the US and beyond who have witnessed the indiscriminate bombing and ground invasions of Gaza by Israeli forces over the last 100+ days," the letter stated.
"These attacks have resulted in more than 31,000 Palestinians killed. 12,000 of these victims are children of a median reported age of five years old (1)," the text continued.
Casualty figures reported in the region have since increased. According to Gaza Ministry of Health figures, more than 67,000 Palestinians had been killed and nearly 170,000 others wounded as of October 2025.
Background on the author and venue
Harrison is an author and illustrator known for children's books. The African American Research Library & Cultural Center in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, serves as a repository for historical research and community programming within the Broward County Public Library system.
Broward County Public Schools is the public school district serving Broward County, Florida. Daily Mail reached out to Broward County Public Schools and Vashti Harrison for comment.
