I noticed out of the state of Florida this week and from the Associated Press. Did y'all know there are students who are giving up their Saturday mornings to learn about Black history. It's happening at the Spady Cultural Heritage Museum in Delray Beach and at other community centers across the state. School district officials across Florida told the AP that they're still following the state mandate to teach about the experience of slavery, abolition and the many contributions of
African Americans to society. However, a common complaint from students and parents is that the instruction seems limited to heroic figures like Martin Luther King, Junior Rosa Parks. The curriculum rarely extends beyond Black History Month. This we all know, now, y'all remember we got to look at several things when it comes to a story like this. First of all, I applored the students for giving up their Saturday mornings. I applored the teachers for making that time available to
students so they can learn more about black history. I mean, when we think about things the lynchings, when we think about segregation, that still shapes the landscape at how grassroots activists mobilized to make times better for all of us, particularly African Americans in this country. And just looking at this article from the Associated Press, I'm just thinking about a couple of things it says here talked about Florida
developed its own Black History tool kit last year. More than four hundred congregations have pledged to teach the lessons. The advocacy group orn AVAC groups are stated Florida has required public schools to teach African American history for the past thirty years in case y'all didn't know, but many families no longer trust the state's education system that adequately addressed the subject. I wonder why that is. Could it
be governor around the centus. Could it be that he's the reason why faith has been lost in terms of things being taught about black history. I'd say so. One could easily argue that DeSantis, who won the gubernatorial seat, his reelection bid quite convincingly, I might add, fell off when he started talking about teachings in the school system and how there were certain teachings that he wanted to eradicate. And we have to remember that we have to pay
attention to that, because that matters. Remember, you had advocates under fire by the administration of Republican Governor Ron DeSantis at the time, who had championed efforts to restrict how race history and discrimination were talked about in the state's public school system. DeSantis, according to the article in AP, had led attacks on wokeness and education at rallied conservatives nationwide,
including President alec Donald Trump. The year was twenty twenty two to Governor signed the law quote restricting certain race based conversations and schools and businesses, and prohibits teaching that members of one ethnic group should feel guilty or bear responsibility for actions taking by previous generations. So, in other words, because you're born white in this day and age, obviously you aren't on this earth during the time of slavery.
You aren't a slave owner. You didn't commit any lynchings or you didn't hang anyone, you didn't name anyone, you didn't rape anyone, you didn't murder anybody. You bear no responsibility towards what your ancestors did. That's what Ron DeSantis' position was. My question, is this fair enough? What does that have to do with making sure that African Americans in this nation are educated and made aware of what past transgressions took place that still affect them to this
very day. We live in a predominantly white society in the United States of America. The numbers have dissipated. Once upon a time it was eighty five to ninety percent white. Now the number is dipped last time I checked a few months ago to fifty seven point four percent in dwindling. By the year twenty thirty, the US Census Bureau report says that the Hispanic populace in this country will have exceeded more than thirty plus percent, if not more. Obviously,
the black population is about thirteen to fourteen percent. So when we look at that, and we look at how things have been politicized, and we recognize the power of the Hispanic vote, one could easily submize that at some point in time, if numbers were not curtailed, that the Hispanic population may measure up to, if not eclipse, that of the white populace in this country. You don't think that has anything to do with people being concerned about the borders. Are we all blind, deaf and dumb? Here?
We know it does and When you take that into consideration and you see the focus on immigration, you can connect the dots. Why am I bringing that up because when we talk about black history and being educated about the transgressions of white folks in America back in the day, what you want to do, if you're Ron DeSantis, is to make sure you show no correlation between what happened
in the past and what happens now. My response to that would be, well, just because things aren't as conspicuous and obvious as they once were, do you summarily dismiss the notion that, to some degree it could exist today when you consider the disparity in the incarcerated, where you consider a documentary like thirteen on Netflix by the great Ava du Vernay and was talking about how the penal system served to imprison and dare we say enslave in
abundance of people. Think about those kind of things. When we think about corporate America today, who holds the power. When we think about the banking system with loans and things of that nature, housing, small businesses, etc. All of these things come into play. You don't have to have somebody in chains and hitting them with whips and doing things of that nature and order for them to feel enslaved. Not literally, of course, but figuratively speaking. You entrap the mind.
The body ultimately follows, as they say. So, if you're Ron DeSantis and you made a concerted effort entering the presidential election to make this a point that you wanted to discuss so much so when we had people out there saying there were benefits to slavery, I mean you aku you thet people saying this. What are folks supposed to think about? What your ultimate objective was? If you
don't teach people about history, they'll never know. If they never know, then they can't hold those accountable, nor can they make any correlation to those who might still be of like minded thinking at the very least, and you might be able to play a role in highlighting and dissecting and noticing where they stand. Because history teaches us all. You don't want certain groups favored fair enough, then why not just let history be taught and move out the way.
And why not make sure they all teach on an exceptional level instead of twelve out of like sixty seven different schools getting a good grade while the rest of us for by the wayside. The fact that this is happening in the state of Florida. I believe it's a good thing. I want to applaud the teachers. I want to applaud the students who are attending these classes. I want to applaud anybody who wants to know about the
dark history associated with slavery and indeenthured servitude. I appreciate that we can talk about it, We can have discussions about it. Problem with any white person saying I have nothing to do with that, even though some may beg to differ because it's your ancestors. I get all of that. By the way, black folks sold black folks into slavery.
Let's not let anybody off the hook here. I'm simply saying, when you try to act as if it's not something that should be taught, when you try to act as if you would prefer that it's not even discussed, that's very incriminating, if for no other reason that it's incredibly suspicious, with all the problems that we got going on in this world, that the governor, at least over a year ago, had made such a concerted effort to derail at a fine and educating youngsters on to come up who happened
to be black and wanted to know about their history. I'm just saying it's a good thing that this is happening, because folks associated with the Florida School System is adamant that our history should never be forgotten, nor should it ever be erased. It builds alligated skin a level of
intestinal fort two. For me personally, that level of insight strengthens my resolve because when I'm able to look at my ancestors and I'm able to say they have to overcome that what the hell am I wanting and moaning about what I have to deal with now is nothing
compared to what they have to deal with. And that, sir, is what enables me to look at get individuals on the content of their character, as opposed to judging folks strictly by the color of their skin and castigating everyone collectively instead of car par instead of compartmentalizing and recognizing that's not the right thing to do. Just the thought for you all to consider