By Hank Bartholomew
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and the Florida state government have rejected a proposed school course that would cover Black history in America. In a letter sent to CNN by DeSantis’s office, concerns were expressed over some of the material the course would cover. Florida has the second highest rate of banned books in the nation (following Texas), and these actions provide another example of an effort to limit teaching with a critical view of American history by the state’s officials.
The proposed course would be offered as a test run to sixty schools and then be available nationwide by the fall of 2024. Developed over the last decade, it would cover African American culture, including sciences, arts, and literature, as well as historical and geographical information regarding Black history in America. The College Board said of the course, “We look forward to bringing this rich and inspiring exploration of African-American history and culture to students across the country.”
Florida’s complaints with the course all come from the fourth unit discussed in the course syllabus. This unit covers “Movements and Debates,” and DeSantis’s letter expresses concerns over the cover of “Black Queer Studies” in this unit. Additionally, Florida objected to the course’s discussion of the Black Lives Matter movement, reparations, and Black feminism. According to the letter received by CNN, the state’s problem with reparations–the compensation (most likely monetary) for a long history of atrocities committed against Black Americans–as it would be taught according to the course was that it was supposedly one-sided. DeSantis and his office argue that “no critical perspective or balancing opinion [is provided] in this lesson.” In fact, the state has even cited examples within the course that are supposedly “woke indoctrination” that violate Florida’s laws of what can be taught about race.
Following Florida’s swift rejection of the class, as shown through comments such as, “As presented, the content of this course is inexplicably contrary to Florida law and significantly lacks educational value,” the College Board is currently making revisions to the course.
For Ron DeSantis, this is a major victory. Eyeing a presidential run in 2024, forcing the course framework to be revised is a flexing of muscle for the Florida governor. This will significantly help strengthen DeSantis’s portrayal of himself as a staunch opponent of “woke ideals.”
As of this writing, it is unclear what revisions to the course material will look like, but for now, it appears that DeSantis and his like-minded supporters have won this round in a further effort to eliminate teachings critical of America’s past- particularly its treatment of minorities and even more specifically, Black Americans.
