A popular black author, known for his anti-conservative and anti-Independence Day views, as well as his promotion of critical race theory, has recently faced allegations of plagiarism that led to the removal of his children’s book from the market. The book, titled “Resistance Stories From Black History For Kids,” aimed to warn against white supremacy but was found to contain content plagiarized from various publications, including The New York Times, National Geographic, and The Washington Post.
Rann Miller, the author in question, who has previously labeled former President Donald Trump as a racist and praised President Joe Biden for representing a multicultural electorate, vehemently denies the plagiarism allegations. He argues that any similarities found in his book are likely due to an editorial oversight with regards to quotations or direct attributions where he paraphrased or cited a source.
Miller, who often writes about his belief that America is a racist nation and regularly contributes to publications such as The Philadelphia Inquirer and Salon, believes that his children’s book became a target for right-wing conservatives because of its well-researched content that addresses white supremacy. As his first major published book, Miller claims that it took him three months to write and six months to edit, emphasizing the effort he put into creating an authoritative resource.
The allegations of plagiarism were first made by National Review in an article published on July 7. The article cited numerous excerpts from Miller’s book and compared them to excerpts from the over 400 publications he cited. Although the cited passages were not identical to Miller’s source material, they were found to be very similar in many cases. The most notable match was an entire page from an article on Blackpost.org in 2018, which appeared in Miller’s chapter titled “Black Panthers Around the World.”
Ulysses Press, the publisher of Miller’s book, did not respond to inquiries regarding the allegations. The links to his book on Amazon and Simon & Schuster’s website no longer work, and the latter displays a message stating that the page no longer exists.
The plagiarism scandal surrounding Miller has triggered discussions on social media and in newspapers, with some drawing comparisons to President Joe Biden’s 1987 plagiarism scandal, which hindered his first presidential bid. Evidence emerged that Biden had incorporated excerpts from speeches given by other public figures, including Robert F. Kennedy, into his own speeches. Additionally, it was revealed that Biden had plagiarized a significant portion of a law review paper during his time as a law student at Syracuse University.
Miller has previously written about instances where Republicans heckled Biden during his State of the Union addresses, suggesting that the reason for their behavior is his support for black voters. He emphasizes that his children’s book aimed to teach kids that black freedom was achieved through resistance rather than white benevolence. Miller expresses his hope that the controversy surrounding his book will serve as a reminder that black people will continue to speak the truth and resist attempts to hide history.
While Miller claims that none of the publications he is accused of plagiarizing have directly complained to him or made any public comments about the allegations, it is worth noting that conservatives such as Rand Paul and Ben Domenech, co-founder of The Federalist and husband of Meghan McCain, have also faced accusations of plagiarism. Other notable figures who have been involved in plagiarism scandals include Martin Luther King Jr. and Melania Trump, who was accused of incorporating portions of a speech given by former First Lady Michelle Obama into her own speech. Trump staff writer Meredith McIver later took responsibility for the plagiarized speech.
As the controversy surrounding Miller’s book continues, it raises important questions about intellectual integrity, especially within the realm of children’s literature. The allegations of plagiarism not only cast doubt on the credibility of the author but also highlight the need for careful sourcing and attribution when creating educational materials for young readers.
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