Texas City Fires First Ever Poet Laureate Over Use of Racial Slur in Poem

San Antonio's poet laureate Nephtalí De León lost his position Monday over the use of a racial slur in a poem he posted online.

De León shared the poem on his Facebook page on August 1, in tribute to educator and writer Roberto "Cintli" Rodriguez. It contained a Chicano slang word which can be used to refer to Black people, according to the San Antonio Current.

In response, San Antonio's Department of Arts & Culture terminated his contract, saying the poem was incompatible with De León's responsibilities to foster an inclusive environment.

"The City of San Antonio’s Poet Laureate is to uphold these values, which include denouncing racism among other oppressive barriers, while using creative poetic expressions to unite our community," a statement issues to The Messenger said.

"Nephtalí De León recently posted a poem contrary to the City’s values and the role of City Poet Laureate. As a result, Mr. De León’s contract with the City of San Antonio has been terminated."

The poet argued in a long post on Facebook that the word had multiple meanings depending on its origin and that he did not mean it in a derogatory way.

"I do make a blanket apology to anyone that may be offended by my use of Caló words for themselves or for any other group of people," De León said in his post.

However others said it was clearly an offensive term "steeped in racism."

The San Antonio Department of Arts & Culture told The Messenger that it will be announcing a new window to nominate a Poet Laureate in November 2023, with an appointment to be in made in April 2024 during National Poetry Month.