| (TALLAHASSEE – March 18, 2023) – I just started a petition titled “Tell the Florida State Board of Education That Black History Matters”!
My name is Brianna Beadle, and I am an alumna of Florida public schools and Florida Atlantic University (FAU). Just yesterday, Governor Ron DeSantis rejected the College Board’s request to approve its Advanced Placement African American Studies course.1 His argument: Teaching advanced Black history “significantly lacks educational value.”2 This is complete and utter nonsense. Though born and raised in Florida, I attended K through 3 in Connecticut; there I attended a charter school with predominantly Black educators and students. But when I moved back to Florida in the fourth grade, all of this changed. For the most part, my teachers no longer looked like me—and classroom lessons largely failed to validate my existence as a young Black girl or uplift Black history. At Florida Atlantic University, the struggle was the same. Much like other public universities, FAU required students to take U.S. History and American Government to graduate but African American studies was optional. For me and other Black students across the country, it was as if our universities did not value us, and did not care if our white peers had the knowledge to assess their privilege and become allies in our collective fight for racial justice. TELL FLORIDA STATE EDUCATION OFFICIALS THAT BLACK HISTORY MATTERS! That’s why the AP African American Studies course is so important to me. The College Board saw a gap in our education system and did something about it. Developed in collaboration with HBCU professors across the country – including three-time author and Howard University historian Dr. Nikki Taylor – this first-of-its-kind program was created to empower students with knowledge about the contributions and lived experiences of Black Americans throughout history.3 Lessons range from uplifting our legacies in literature and the arts to capturing how our activism has shaped this country’s laws, institutions, and democracy.4 Not only does AP African American Studies give all students access to Black history, but it also creates pathways for Black students to strengthen their college applications and even earn university credit. To say that this course “lacks significant educational value” would be unfounded and simply untrue. AP African American History is inherently valuable and can leave an indelible mark on Black and white students who have access to it. DeSantis couldn’t care less about Black students who’ve already had their identities and histories invalidated in Florida classrooms. He has led the charge on laws that restrict lessons on Black history (e.g., Stop WOKE Act), book bans on over 500 titles and almost daily threats against educators who dare to defend Black history and Black students.5 So, Donald, we cannot let this cycle continue or allow Gov. DeSantis to use Black students as political pawns to incite conservative outrage or drum up support for other, unrelated initiatives he might be pushing for as he enters his new term. Donald, the only reason DeSantis has been so successful in erasing Black history, is because he has allies at the Florida State Board of Education. That’s why I demand that the Florida State Board of Education meaningfully support Black students by doing the following:
I wholeheartedly believe that the Black students who come after me deserve to see their histories and culture take center stage in the classroom, and I won’t stop fighting until that happens! Will you join me? Thank you, Brianna Beadle, OrganizeFor References:
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