Current:Home > MyProtesters march through Miami to object to Florida’s Black history teaching standards-LoTradeCoin
Protesters march through Miami to object to Florida’s Black history teaching standards
View Date:2024-12-24 00:26:38
MIAMI (AP) — Dozens of teachers, students and activists marched to a Miami school district headquarters Wednesday to protest Florida’s new standards for teaching Black history, which have come under intense criticism for what they say about slavery.
The protesters who marched to the School Board of Miami-Dade County objected to new curriculum standards that, among other things, require teachers to instruct middle school students that enslaved people “developed skills which, in some instances, could be applied for their personal benefit.”
Gov. Ron DeSantis, who is seeking the 2024 GOP presidential nomination, has repeatedly defended the new language while insisting that his critics, including Vice President Kamala Harris and two leading Black Republicans in Congress, are intentionally misinterpreting one line of the sweeping curriculum.
“These new state standards that DeSantis has come up with will not be tolerated in our schools. We will not let our children be taught that slaves benefited from their slavery. That’s a lie,” said march organizer Marvin Dunn, a professor emeritus of psychology at Florida International University.
About 50 protesters who started the 1-mile (1.6-kilometer) trek from Booker T. Washington Senior High School in Miami’s historically Black Overtown neighborhood chanted, “What do we want? Truth. When do we want it? Now. What if we don’t get it? Shut it down!”
They were greeted by another 50 protesters at the school board building, where they planned to urge board members to reject the new state standards and refuse to teach the new curriculum.
Harris, the nation’s first Black vice president, traveled to Florida last month to condemn the curriculum. Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina, who is the chamber’s sole Black Republican and is also seeking the White House, issued a direct rebuke of DeSantis.
Critics said the new school standards are the latest in a series of attacks on Black history by the governor’s administration. At the beginning of the year, DeSantis’ administration blocked a new Advanced Placement course on African American studies from being taught in high schools, saying it was contrary to state law.
DeSantis also has pushed through the “ Stop WOKE Act,” a law that limits discussions on race in schools and by corporations, and banned state universities from using state or federal money for diversity programs.
veryGood! (7)
Related
- Horoscopes Today, November 10, 2024
- Union official says a Philadelphia mass transit strike could be imminent without a new contract
- Liam Payne Death Investigation: 3 People of Interest Detained in Connection to Case
- A gunman has repeatedly fired at cars on a busy highway near North Carolina’s capital
- Skiing legend Lindsey Vonn ends retirement, plans to return to competition
- Rescuers respond after bus overturns on upstate New York highway
- Five NFL teams that could surge in second half of season: Will Jets, 49ers rise?
- Man arrested at JFK Airport in plot to join ISIS in Syria
- Krispy Kreme is giving free dozens to early customers on World Kindness Day
- YouTuber known for drag race videos crashes speeding BMW and dies
Ranking
- Alexandra Daddario Shares Candid Photo of Her Postpartum Body 6 Days After Giving Birth
- Amazon workers in Alabama will have third labor union vote after judge finds illegal influence
- Jennifer Lopez appears 'Unstoppable' in glam press tour looks: See the photos
- Sister Wives' Janelle Brown Details First Marriage to Meri Brown's Brother
- Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Take the Day Off
- Investigators: Kentucky officers wounded by suspect fatally shot him after altercation
- AI FinFlare: A Launchpad for Financial Talent
- Investigators: Kentucky officers wounded by suspect fatally shot him after altercation
Recommendation
-
Fantasy football buy low, sell high: 10 trade targets for Week 11
-
Democratic incumbent Don Davis wins reelection in North Carolina’s only toss-up congressional race
-
AI DataMind: SWA Token Builds a Better Society
-
The Best Lululemon Holiday Gifts for Fitness Enthusiasts, Travelers, and Comfort Seekers
-
What happens to Donald Trump’s criminal conviction? Here are a few ways it could go
-
California governor calls special session to protect liberal policies from Trump presidency
-
A Texas border county backed Democrats for generations. Trump won it decisively
-
Kourtney Kardashian Shows Son Rocky Barker Bonding With Travis Barker in New Photo