The state's new standards on African American studies are now leading to a larger community discussion on how to best move forward.
In Miami Gardens late Thursday, a panel answered community concerns about the future of African American studies in the classroom and where Florida goes from here. The room was packed and passionate.
“The governor cannot dictate or rewrite history. This is our history,” said Francis Ragu. “If my Jewish friends can speak and say never again for the Holocaust, so can we. Never again for slavery.”
“This is a disservice to all of our children,” said retired teacher Susie Anderson. “Because they will not be thoroughly educated.”
Dozens of community members showed up Thursday evening for the town hall. They shared comments, concerns and ideas for how to move forward with the state's new standards on African American history.
“I actually find it highly offensive that I feel like we are dumbing down what happened. The truth. And I feel like it’s really important for us to be able to share how it actually happened and not change that. Because it feels like we are re-writing history,” explained mom of two and current teacher Danielle Irvin.
In July, the State Board of Education approved a new framework for how African American history should be taught.
That includes not requiring elementary and middle school students to learn elements past the Reconstruction Era and language that suggests enslaved individuals benefited from slavery.
“I cannot teach my children what he is trying to inflict upon us. He may have the power, but he doesn’t have the right,” stated Ragu.
And there are other concerns.
“I’m in two rows here,” explains Irvin. “I’m a parent. I have a six-year-old and eleven-year-old son who started with the original curriculum, so they know what it’s like, and it’s not only for me to make sure that my students know the truth, but that my children know what happened as well.”
Education Commissioner Manny Diaz was expected to attend to address these comments, but he declined the invitation.
Wednesday, he said on social media, “There was nothing sudden about my inability to attend… As I told the senator last week, I will be visiting schools throughout the state."
At the town hall, outraged criticisms towards Diaz were made, as well as disappointment in him not showing face to those who had hoped to hear from him.
State Senator Shevrin Jones, who organized the event, said while he’s disappointed, the focus of Thursday evening was on how to move forward.
“If we do not move forward and give solutions for how we progress and what our strategy is as the session prepares to go back in January, then we are just talking and wasting our time,” explained Jones.
Educators were torn on how exactly they will move forward.
“I feel like it kind of puts me in a weird place. Because I have to be extremely careful with what I say and how I say it, I have to be careful with how my students question and redirect their way of thinking, and then with parents as well,” shared Irvin.
Some said the changes don’t phase them.
“What I taught?” Anderson asked with a laugh, “I would be in jail now."
“Well, I’m going to do it anyway,” shared teacher Monester Lee Kinsler. “That’s just who I am.”
Others just hope this new policy isn’t forever.
“What’s most important is that we as the parents have to be our teachers to our students. We cannot rely on somebody else to tell us our story and teach us our history,” explained Ragu.
The hours-long discussion ended by not only incentivizing those in attendance to exercise their right to vote but also to sign up for policy groups to hopefully reverse this curriculum change.
