Middle school students in Florida will soon be taught that slavery gave Black people a “personal benefit” because they “developed skills.” High school students will be taught an equally distorted message: that a deadly white mob attack against Black residents of Ocoee, Florida, in 1920 included “acts of violence perpetrated against and by African Americans.”
This is a part of new statewide standards on African American history that passed our State Board of Education yesterday. I was there, and testified against these changes alongside four other new rules that specifically target the LGBTQ+ community.
The Florida Education Association, the state’s largest teachers union, called the new standards “a big step backward for a state that has required teaching African American history since 1994.”
I am beyond disgusted by all of this, especially since we should be spending our time addressing Florida’s teacher shortage and helping all of our students thrive — not push culture wars and attempt to re-write history.
Many of you have asked what we can do to fight back. Right now we’re working with coalition partners like Equal Ground and the NAACP Florida to empower impacted people and craft a path forward. I encourage you to support these organizations and follow them online too.
I also ask that you contact the Commissioner of Education Manny Diaz, who not only endorsed and defended these standards but bragged about attending a ‘Moms For Liberty’ conference at the beginning of yesterday’s meeting.
Tell him you oppose these changes to Florida’s educational standards and our students should have access to accurate history and unbiased social studies. Email him at Commissioner@fldoe.org or call at 850-245-0505.
We will keep fighting.