A Deering High School student is suing the National Endowment for the Arts because he’s banned from participating in a national poetry contest due to his immigration status.
A complaint filed Wednesday on behalf of 17-year-old junior Allan Monga, an asylum-seeker from Zambia, asks that he be allowed to compete in the Poetry Out Loud competition in Washington, D.C., on April 23. Monga earned a spot to compete in the contest by winning a statewide competition, which included more than 9,000 students. He performed the poem “In The Desert” by Stephen Crane.
Monga, who lives in Westbrook, moved to Maine in 2017.
“When I learned that I am not going to be allowed to participate in the national competition because I am not a U.S. citizen or permanent resident I felt discriminated against,” Monga wrote in a declaration filed with the suit. “America is a country of immigrants. If someone works hard and earns something, no barriers should be placed in his or her way.”
The suit was filed on behalf of Monga and the Portland Public Schools. The defendants include the NEA, its chair Jane Chu, The Poetry Foundation and the Maine Arts Commission. The suit is asking for “emergency injunctive relief” so that Monga can attend the contest.
Send questions/comments to the editors.
Success. Please wait for the page to reload. If the page does not reload within 5 seconds, please refresh the page.
Enter your email and password to access comments.
Hi, to comment on stories you must . This profile is in addition to your subscription and website login.
Already have a commenting profile? .
Invalid username/password.
Please check your email to confirm and complete your registration.
Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.
Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.