In the city of Tallahassee, Florida, amidst the manicured golf courses and sprawling suburbs, traces of the state’s slave-holding past can still be found. These include forgotten cemeteries of enslaved individuals, Confederate soldier statues standing guard over town squares, and old plantations transformed into modern residential areas bearing their original names. However, many students in Florida are not being taught this aspect of Black history in their classrooms.
In a quaint wooden bungalow located in Delray Beach, Charlene Farrington and her team gather groups of teenagers on Saturday mornings to provide lessons that she believes public schools may be lacking. They delve into topics such as South Florida’s Caribbean roots, the dark history of lynchings in the state, the enduring impact of segregation on the landscape, and how grassroots activists mobilized the Civil Rights Movement to overturn years of oppression. Farrington emphasizes to her students the importance of understanding the past to shape the future.
At the Spady Cultural Heritage Museum in Delray Beach and in similar programs at community centers statewide, Florida students are dedicating their Saturday mornings to learning about African American history. Many of these programs receive support from Black churches, institutions that have long played a role in shaping the cultural and political identity of their congregants. In the past year, over 400 congregations have pledged to incorporate Black history lessons using resources provided by Faith in Florida.
Despite Florida’s requirement for public schools to teach African American history over the last three decades, there is a pervasive lack of trust among families in the state’s ability to effectively address the subject matter. While the state mandates the teaching of topics such as enslavement, abolition, and the significant contributions of African Americans to American society, many students and parents feel that instruction often centers on well-known figures like Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and Rosa Parks, typically limited to the observance of Black History Month in February.
Recognizing this gap, parents like Sulaya Williams have taken matters into their own hands by establishing organizations to provide comprehensive Black history education in community settings. Williams, who initiated her program in 2016 due to the absence of adequate instruction for her eldest child, now teaches at a public library in Fort Lauderdale, while her daughter Addah Gordon encourages her peers to join.
The mandate for teaching African American history in Florida was unanimously passed by state lawmakers in 1994, reflecting a period of reckoning with the state’s historical injustices. This legislation followed the release of an official report by state-commissioned historians on the tragic events of the 1923 Rosewood massacre, highlighting the need for education and acknowledgment of Florida’s complex past.
A violent mob destroyed the predominantly Black community of Rosewood, forcing its residents to flee. In 1994, the Florida Legislature approved financial reparations for the survivors and descendants of Rosewood, setting a precedent for national reparations. Despite this progress, the teaching of African American history in Florida remains inconsistent and inadequate, facing challenges from Governor Ron DeSantis’ administration.
Governor DeSantis has led efforts to restrict discussions on race, history, and discrimination in public schools, sparking controversy and backlash. In 2022, he signed a law limiting certain race-related conversations in educational settings and prohibiting teaching that assigns guilt to individuals based on their ethnic background.
The administration’s actions have also blocked the introduction of an Advanced Placement course on African American Studies in Florida schools, claiming it violates state law and is historically inaccurate. This has led to a lack of comprehensive education on African American history in many schools across the state.
Tameka Bradley Hobbs, from Broward County’s African-American Research Library and Cultural Center, emphasized the need for self-reliance in preserving and passing on the history and heritage of African diaspora communities, as schools may not provide adequate education in this area.
Data shows that only a minority of traditional school districts in Florida offer standalone courses on African American history or humanities, with urban districts more likely to provide such classes compared to rural areas. Teachers dedicated to teaching Black history face challenges in navigating the restrictions imposed by the state government, leading some educators to seek alternative ways to educate students on African American history outside the traditional school system.
“History classes in schools are important,” mentioned O’Connor, “but if the learning isn’t taking place there, we must be willing to shift our approach.” Kate Payne works as a member of the corps for The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit program dedicated to national service, placing journalists in local newsrooms to shed light on overlooked issues.
