Palestinian-American author calls out WA school for cancelling book event
Bellevue School District cancels Palestinian author event
A Palestinian-American author was was set to read her new children's book at an elementary school in Bellevue is calling out the district for abruptly canceling her book reading event.
A Palestinian-American author who was set to read her new children's book at an elementary school in Bellevue is calling out the district for abruptly canceling her book reading event.
Safa Suleiman says she was scheduled to read her debut book Hilwa's Gifts at Ardmore Elementary School in April.
"The administration was very excited about having it during that time because April is Arab American Heritage Month," said Suleiman.
The backstory:
Hilwa's Gifts is about a little boy who visits his grandpa and his favorite olive tree in Palestine.
The Colorado-based educator says she was on a flight to Seattle when she learned the Bellevue School District had canceled her event.
"I was stunned by the cancellation, and I felt it was hurtful and cruel," said Suleiman.
Suleiman was told the decision was made not because of her book, but due to a blog post detailing how her family was killed in Israeli airstrikes in 2023.
The response from the school
What they're saying:
The Bellevue School District sent this statement to FOX 13 Seattle:
"As part of Arab American History Month in April, Ardmore Elementary was looking forward to welcoming Ms. Suleiman to read Hilwa’s Gifts and speak with students about her work. The school had even purchased multiple copies of her book for its library collection, reflecting a genuine interest in highlighting Arab American voices.
"After confirming the event, administrators became aware of a personal blog post by Ms. Suleiman titled My Tax Dollars Were Used To Kill My Family, which is directly linked from the book’s promotional webpage. While the Bellevue School District fully respects Ms. Suleiman’s First Amendment rights and personal experiences, we have a foundational responsibility to maintain safe, respectful, and disruption-free learning environments for all students. Given the sensitive nature of the blog post and its direct accessibility to students and families engaging with her book, administrators determined that the visit could lead to significant disruption and diverted attention from the intended educational experience. This decision was not made lightly, and we recognize the profound complexity and emotion surrounding the lived experiences that impact many.
"Ardmore Elementary is a culturally and linguistically diverse school, and its leadership takes pride in offering robust language and cultural programming for all its students to reflect and uplift the whole community.
"Bellevue School District is deeply committed to building a beloved community, creating safe spaces for learning in a supportive school environment, and fostering inclusive and supportive environments for all students."
Why you should care:
"I feel that there was nothing that was in the post that could justify this action," said Suleiman. "I write joyful, loving children's books. I also have a lived experience."
Suleiman says she has been held to a double standard and, despite efforts to reschedule her book reading, the Bellevue School District has not reached out to her to do so.
"This has a chilling effect in terms of our First Amendment rights and our liberties to write freely and to speak our truth," said Suleiman.
Despite the Bellevue School District canceling her visit, the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-WA) hosted another book reading for Suleiman in Bellevue on June 14.
"I've had about 20 visits so far across the US, and they have been well-attended and joyful and wonderful events," said Suleiman. "I always say that Hilwa's Gifts was born in Seattle. It's the place where I launched my book and I would love to come back to do more readings."
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The Source: Information in this story comes from original reporting by FOX 13 Seattle reporter Nia Wong.