Attempts to ban Black History
6th February 2023 · 0 Comments
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and other anti-Black activists are on a mission to eradicate parts of American history that involve African Americans and, in doing so, threaten the First Amendment rights of American citizens.
Last week, DeSantis prohibited teaching a new Advanced Placement African American History course in high schools. They announced plans to block state colleges from having programs on diversity, equity, inclusion and critical race theory.
The Republican governor “debuted his proposal as part of a larger, higher education legislative package expected to be taken up by the GOP-controlled state House when its regular session begins in March,” the AP reported.
DeSantis last week announced changes to the New College of Florida Board of Trustees. What can only be seen as a hostile takeover, DeSantis recently appointed seven of the 13 New College of Florida Board of Trustees and recommended the ouster of its president.
He said the dominant view of higher education is to “impose ideological conformity to try to provoke political activism.”
DeSantis’ hypocrisy knows no bounds. Political activism? What DeSantis is doing is the worst kind of political activism. He is trying to out-Trump Trump in his quest for the presidency. He is showing everyone that he is a more prominent racist and homophobe than Trump could ever be.
DeSantis is a part of a neo-Confederacy trying to impose a white power agenda on the United States.
The banning of books by Black authors and those featuring history-makers such as Rosa Parks and the Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. is insane at best and fascist at worst.
But to quote Stevie Wonder, DeSantis, Trump, and their white tribe “haven’t done nothin.’”
People of color, Black Americans, African Americans, or whatever the name du jour for us, have learned that obstacles offer opportunities to fight the powers that seek to eradicate, erase, or annihilate us.
DeSantis, the MAGA crowd, the Freedom Caucus, white Evangelical Christians, and associated militias are fighting to keep Black people invisible and bury American history truths.
Isaac Newton’s Third Law of Motion states, for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. This physics law is occurring in the battle for justice.
On January 11, Florida educators filed a motion challenging DeSantis’ memo demanding college universities to report critical race theory and diversity initiatives. Assisting in the lawsuit are the NAACP-LDF and the ACLU.
A multi-racial group of Florida university and college educators, the plaintiffs in Pernell v. Florida Board of Governors, filed the motion to ensure Florida officials’ compliance with a federal court’s preliminary injunction prohibiting enforcement of the unconstitutional Stop WOKE Act (HB 7).
Despite the court’s ruling, Gov. DeSantis’ administration issued a memo in December requiring Florida universities to provide information about potential critical race theory and diversity, equity, and inclusion activity in an attempt to enforce the enjoined law and restrict Florida educators and students from learning about and discussing issues related to race and gender, the Legal Defense Fund (LDF) posted on its website.
Keeping the attack going, Florida officials last month issued a chart that said it promoted the idea that modern American society oppresses Black people, was inappropriate and uses articles by critics of capitalism, the AP reported from its Baton Rouge bureau. Pressure by DeSantis caused a revision to the AP African American History coursework. Topics such as Black Lives Matter, slavery reparations, and queer theory are no longer subjects to be taught.
A photo of Emmitt Glynn teaching AP African American studies to a group of Baton Rouge Magnet High School students on January 30 in Baton Rouge was featured in the AP article on the NPR site.
The course is being tested at 60 schools around the U.S., and the official framework is intended to guide the expansion of the course to hundreds of other high schools in the next academic year. The College Board oversees AP courses and said developers consulted with professors from more than 200 colleges, including several historically Black institutions.
Still, the attack on educators and American history provides an excellent opportunity for Black Americans to take control of the narrative, teach Black history inside and outside the classroom, and produce content – websites, television shows and films – that memorialize Black Americans’ experience.
Dr. Marvin Dunn is doing his part to inform and educate people about Black history and is on a mission to “Teach the Truth” about American history.
On a recent afternoon, Dunn gathered students and their parents at the cemetery and told them about the Rev. Josh J. Baskin and five other Black Floridians hanged by a white mob from an oak tree in 1916 after an accusation over a stolen hog sparked two days of terror.
A Professor Emeritus of Community Psychology at Florida International University, Dr. Dunn is an author, historian, and collector of African-American artifacts.
Dunn founded the Academy for Community Education (later re-named Dr. Marvin Dunn Academy for Community Education), a Miami-Dade County high school for at-risk youth. His views on racial and ethnic relations in the U.S. have been widely published and broadcast on major news outlets. He has authored several books on the History of African Americans and has produced several films related to African-American history in Florida.
Of course, the recent anti-Black history attacks of Ron DeSantis have not gone unnoticed by Dr. Dunn, who tweeted: “What have we heard from this little man trying to become a big man about the cost of insurance in Florida? It’s all C.R.T., C.R.T., C.R.T., D.E.I., C.R.T., D.E.I. Racist dog whistles you uncouth person.”
Historian Leon Waters has been conducting his “Hidden History Tour” in New Orleans for decades. SUNO Professor Dr. Clyde Robertson continues to teach and host Black history maker celebrations and lectures at the university’s Center for African and African American Studies.
Whether it’s taught in schools or universities, Americans have access to Black history and content featuring Black people.
Common Sense Media offers a list of streaming networks, websites, and apps that provide many movies, shows, and videos. The organization points out that Netflix is curating a Black Lives Matter collection on its streaming service.
Currently, Hulu is airing 1619 Project docuseries, and BET+ features most of Tyler Perry’s movies and series. Common Sense Media also offers articles and links to media that can help white parents raise anti-racist kids.
PC Magazine offers a list of picks to “Celebrate Black Art With These Streaming Services.”
If DeSantis and others think they are being politically correct by banning discussions and instructions on Black History, they should ban D.W. Griffith’s “Birth of a Nation.” Then they’d be doing something.
This article originally published in the February 6, 2023 print edition of The Louisiana Weekly newspaper.
