Politics

DeSantis threatened with lawsuit after blocking African American studies course in FL schools

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Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is being blasted by civil rights leaders this week after making the decision to block an Advanced Placement African American Studies course in state high schools, citing his earlier ban of the teaching of Critical Race Theory.

Benjamin Crump, a prominent civil rights attorney, spoke at a rally on Wednesday at the Florida State Capitol, threatening to sue DeSantis over the blocking of the course if it is not allowed to be taught in Florida schools even after upcoming changes to the course that are currently being made by the College Board. The changes being made are unclear so far, but the College Board aims to make the course allowable under the ban of CRT in Florida, which was implemented in April last year.

“If the governor allows the College Board to present AP African American studies in classrooms across the state of Florida, then we will feel no need to file this historic lawsuit,” Crump said on Wednesday. “However, if he rejects the free flow of ideas and suppresses African American studies, then we’re prepared to take this controversy all the way to the United States Supreme Court.”

Vice President Kamala Harris spoke out against the decision to block the course when she traveled to Florida earlier this week for an abortion rights event, calling Florida’s GOP leaders “extremists” and saying,  “Every student in our nation should be able to learn about the culture, contributions, and experiences of all Americans – including Black Americans – who shaped our history. Unfortunately, in Florida, extremist so-called leaders ban books, block history classes, and prevent teachers from freely discussing who they are and who they love,” Harris added. “Anyone who bans teaching American history has no right to shape America’s future.”

ARTICLE: LAURA SPIVAK

MANAGING EDITOR: LUKE MOCHERMAN

PHOTO CREDIT: BET

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Laura Spivak

Laura is a freelance writer out of Maryland and a mom of three. Her background is in political science and international relations, and she has been doing political writing and editing for 17 years. Laura has also written parenting pieces for the Today Show and is currently working on writing a collection of remarkable true stories about normal people. She writes for FBA because unbiased news is vital to unity, and readers deserve the facts free of opinion.

Laura is a freelance writer out of Maryland and a mom of three. Her background is in political science and international relations, and she has been doing political writing and editing for 17 years. Laura has also written parenting pieces for the Today Show and is currently working on writing a collection of remarkable true stories about normal people. She writes for FBA because unbiased news is vital to unity, and readers deserve the facts free of opinion.

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