Backlash grows against DeSantis decision to block AP African American studies class #StopTheBlackAttack

DeSantis' decision to disallow the teaching of AP African American Studies in Florida schools takes me back to when John Huppenthal did this to Mexican American Studies (formerly called "Raza Studies") in the Tucson Unified School District. 

Referencing this court case in which I served as expert witness on curriculum, Civil Rights Attorney Ben Crump is correct in noting the unconstitutionality of robbing youth of their right to this curriculum. The teacher and student plaintiffs in TUSD won this case in 2017, following a 7-year court battle. I blogged about it for at least a couple of years (note: keyword search "MAS," "TUSD," "TUSD Ethnic Studies," and "Tucson" to locate posts).

Folks in Florida are justifiably outraged, calling out DeSantis' gravitation toward these divisive, "red-meat" issues as objectionable when according to State Sen. Shevrin Jones (D) he should be "addressing issues that matter to Floridians like 'crumbling schools, dilapidated buildings in our communities” and high property insurance costs.'"

“These are the issues that‘s being ignored because we have to deal with the promotion of Jim Crow 3.0 by people who don’t know and don’t care about what’s happening in Black communities, but they desire to referee how you teach our history,” Jones said. 

This IS Jim Crow 3.0, or as we say in Texas among Mexicans for whom this is

also true, "it's Juan Crow." Check out the signage on stopping the "Black Attack" rally that took place yesterday at the state capitol in Tallahassee.

In the meantime, we continue with our own similar struggles in our own state of Texas with a Governor like DeSantis who has similar political aspirations and ideological perspectives.

If any good comes out of this, it's that we come to appreciate in deep and meaningful ways the importance and viability of Black Brown unity.

Sí se puede! Yes we can!

-Angela Valenzuela 

#EthnicStudiesNow #SaveAfricanAmericanStudies #StopTheBlackAttack

Backlash grows against DeSantis decision to block AP African American studies class

By Lori Rozsa

Updated January 26, 2023 at 10:13 a.m. EST|Published January 25, 2023 at 7:37 p.m. EST

Civil rights attorney Ben Crump stands with Elijah Edwards, 14, a student at Sail High School during a “Stop The Black Attack” rally in Tallahassee on Wednesday. (Octavio Jones/Reuters)

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is facing mounting backlash regarding his administration’s decision to prohibit an Advanced Placement high school course on African American studies, with Black leaders rallying in the capital, a prominent civil rights lawyer threatening to sue and state lawmakers urging him to reverse the decision.

Attorney Ben Crump accused DeSantis of violating the federal and state constitutions Wednesday by refusing to permit the course. His legal team noted that a federal judge found a 2010 law in Arizona that banned a Mexican American studies program from Tucson schools unconstitutional and officials “motivated by racial animus.”

Continue reading here.