Transcript:
If you listen to much of the media, you would think that Gov. Ron DeSantis is some kind of right-wing extremist. The overwhelming majority of Florida voters must be as well. The popular conservative governor has opposed Critical Race Theory and the politicization of race in public school classrooms.
That’s a good thing. Identity politics shouldn’t be used in school curriculum. Many Democrats agree.
So, what was in the curriculum that the state objected to? Officials say it included “queer theory” topics and advocated for “abolishing prisons.” No one objects to students learning about the plight of black Americans throughout history. The only way to prevent something evil from happening again is to educate people on the horrors of the dark side of America’s past.
It’s ugly, horrifying, and much can still be learned about the roots of racism in America and how to combat it today. No one should ever be made to feel less than a human being because of the color of their skin. Nor should black Americans’ stories be withheld in public schools. Despite the wrongs committed against them, there is a depthness and richness of black history. There are stories of bravery, courage, compassion, loyalty, and love in the midst of overcoming evil.
Unfortunately, their struggles didn’t stop with the abolition of slavery. It took almost a hundred years to fulfill promises made to the black community in the 1964 Civil Rights Act. Still, too many Americans hold views that I can’t and won’t explain away.
There is no denying that racism in some corners of America still exists. It may always. It’s the horrifying reality of being human. In other parts of the world, there are still brutal forms of racial discrimination involving other races.
Yet, that’s not what we are talking about in this instance.
Leon County Commissioner Bill Proctor is a Democrat, and he’s also a black American. Earlier this week, he said the proposed AP African American history course wasn’t a legitimate educational curriculum. He said it was propaganda and agreed with the DeSantis administration blocking it because it violated Florida state law.
Proctor said, “I think it’s trash.” He added that it wasn’t African American history but ideology.
He said that he had taught African American history and that equating queer and feminism with racial discrimination and equality wasn’t appropriate.
Critics of the AP course and Critical Race Theory argue that CRT and other woke studies make young people feel success is unattainable. It traps them in victimhood while at the same time villainizing white students as inherently racist and the beneficiaries of a racially oppressive system.
Ultimately, the AP course is getting an overhaul thanks to Gov. DeSantis’ strong push to eradicate indoctrination over education. Still, that won’t stop Democrats from trying to demonize him. In today’s world, it’s about emotion over reason and logic for too many.
Let’s hope other people step up and act as courageously as the governor. Hopefully, one day we can have real conversations about healing America from the wounds of the past.
Kudos to Commissioner Proctor for speaking up.
I wonder if the Left will be attacking him soon as a traitor.
The Conservative Era
