By LUCA CANTAGALLO, Age 14
Should students be protected from American history, or should the true and full history be taught?
Since January 2021, 44 states have introduced bills, launched almost exclusively by Republican lawmakers, that restrict the teaching of critical race theory (CRT). According to a CNN report, of these 44 states, 18 have passed the aforementioned bills. Some of these restrictions entail banning books, videos, speeches and more that include topics like Black history.
Gevin Reynolds, a former speechwriter for Vice President Kamala Harris, disagreed with these policies in an interview with CNN. “Black history is American history, right?” he said. “You can’t teach or understand American history without teaching and understanding Black history.” Reynolds believes that to be truly patriotic, you need to be able to acknowledge the high points and low points of U.S. history, stating, “I don’t think you can be a patriot if you can’t fully love and fully see your country for its beauties and its flaws.”
In January of 2023, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis stripped down the Advanced Placement (AP) African American Studies course for his state. Kristin Fulwylie, the executive director of the Black History Project, which oversees Black history courses in several Florida cities, has stated that these courses are under attack. One of these rules states that in Florida, school libraries and assigned reading lists must be vetted by official “media specialists” who have been trained by the state.
Some concerned proponents of a fuller U.S. history have made efforts to teach Black history outside of school. That includes Florida churches that have stepped up to teach Black history because of DeSantis’s new legislation on what can be taught in public schools.
Pastor Sharon Riley of the Agape Perfecting Praise and Worship Center in Orlando started an African American history master class because there are holes in the history being taught in Florida public schools, according to NPR. LaVon Bracy with Faith in Florida has put together a toolkit that includes articles and videos that cover Black history, from the transatlantic slave trade through the civil rights movement to the killing of George Floyd.
Despite challenges inflicted by the Florida state government against the teaching of Black history, community members continue to make an effort to inform people about the full truth of American history.
Bill: a plan for a new law or a change to an existing law
Critical race theory: a course of study that views racism as a systemic issue (rather than an individual problem) that affects most, if not all, aspects of Western society
Patriotic: love and devotion to one’s country
