The office of Governor Ron DeSantis emphasized earlier this week that unless changes are made to the College Board's Advanced Placement African American Studies course, the Florida Department of Education would bar the course. "We want education, not indoctrination," the governor is quoted as saying, arguing that the course pushes a political agenda and "lacks educational value and historical accuracy."
Among the critics of the governor's decision is President Joe Biden, whose press secretary said DeSantis wants to "block" the study of black Americans.
Karine Jean Pierre: "These types of actions aren't new. They are not new from what we're seeing, especially from Florida …. They didn't block AP European history. They didn't block our music history. They didn't block our art history. But the state chose to block a course that is meant for high achieving high school students about their history of arts and culture. It is incomprehensible."
But Tina Descovich, co-founder of Moms for Liberty and the parent of children in public school in Florida, says The Sunshine State does teach black history.
"We teach the good, the bad, the ugly. We teach accomplishments of African Americans, but also we teach about slavery and Jim Crow laws and segregation and discrimination. So, none of that is held back," Descovich tells AFN.
The governor's press secretary pointed out to Fox News that Florida law requires the teaching of African American history and, in fact, has been expanded in the state since DeSantis took office. Descovich points out, however, that the AP course in question deserves more than just a cursory glance.
"What people need to understand is [that] the syllabus [for this very specific class] is available online; you can go look at it," she emphasizes. "It's got a lot of things in there that are very concerning and violate the laws now in Florida since the Stop WOKE Act passed."
Among her concerns is the "one-sided" nature of the course.
"It is full of critical race theory; it is full of gender theory; it teaches about reparations, but never teaches … that there is a downside to reparations [such as] economic impact – none of that. It just says there should be reparations," Descovich states. "It is not a fair and balanced class – and that is the problem of the class."
The Stop WOKE Act, which DeSantis signed last year, bars instruction that defines people as necessarily oppressed or privileged based on their race.
