Breanna Beadle just started a petition to the Florida State Board of Education.

Tell the Florida State Board of Education That Black History Matters!

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Black Students Deserve To See Their Histories and Culture Take Center Stage in the Classroom!

Banner with medium brown background. Text reads'Justice for the 110 aboard the Clotilda' Tell the Florida State Board of Education to Allow AP African American Studies in Florida Public High Schools!

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Dear John,

I just started a petition titled “Tell the Florida State Board of Education That Black History Matters”!

My name is Brianna Beadle, and I am an alumna of Florida public schools and Florida Atlantic University (FAU).

Just yesterday, Governor Ron DeSantis rejected the College Board’s request to approve its Advanced Placement African American Studies course.1 His argument: Teaching advanced Black history “significantly lacks educational value.”2

This is complete and utter nonsense.

Though born and raised in Florida, I attended K through 3 in Connecticut; there I attended a charter school with predominantly Black educators and students. But when I moved back to Florida in the fourth grade, all of this changed. For the most part, my teachers no longer looked like me—and classroom lessons largely failed to validate my existence as a young Black girl or uplift Black history. At Florida Atlantic University, the struggle was the same. Much like other public universities, FAU required students to take U.S. History and American Government to graduate but African American studies was optional. For me and other Black students across the country, it was as if our universities did not value us, and did not care if our white peers had the knowledge to assess their privilege and become allies in our collective fight for racial justice.

TELL FLORIDA STATE EDUCATION OFFICIALS THAT BLACK HISTORY MATTERS!

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That’s why the AP African American Studies course is so important to me. The College Board saw a gap in our education system and did something about it. Developed in collaboration with HBCU professors across the country – including three-time author and Howard University historian Dr. Nikki Taylor – this first-of-its-kind program was created to empower students with knowledge about the contributions and lived experiences of Black Americans throughout history.3 Lessons range from uplifting our legacies in literature and the arts to capturing how our activism has shaped this country’s laws, institutions, and democracy.4 Not only does AP African American Studies give all students access to Black history, but it also creates pathways for Black students to strengthen their college applications and even earn university credit.

To say that this course “lacks significant educational value” would be unfounded and simply untrue. AP African American History is inherently valuable and can leave an indelible mark on Black and white students who have access to it.

DeSantis couldn't care less about Black students who’ve already had their identities and histories invalidated in Florida classrooms. He has led the charge on laws that restrict lessons on Black history (e.g., Stop WOKE Act), book bans on over 500 titles and almost daily threats against educators who dare to defend Black history and Black students.5 So, John, we cannot let this cycle continue or allow Gov. DeSantis to use Black students as political pawns to incite conservative outrage or drum up support for other, unrelated initiatives he might be pushing for as he enters his new term.

John, the only reason DeSantis has been so successful in erasing Black history, is because he has allies at the Florida State Board of Education. That’s why I demand that the Florida State Board of Education meaningfully support Black students by doing the following:

Override Gov. DeSantis’ decision to reject the AP African American Studies course.
Submit an audit highlighting which students are valued in approved curricula and which students are excluded.
Establish a long-term plan for ensuring that all K – 12 students are given the opportunity to learn about Black history in the classroom.
I wholeheartedly believe that the Black students who come after me deserve to see their histories and culture take center stage in the classroom, and I won’t stop fighting until that happens! Will you join me?

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Thank you,

Brianna Beadle, OrganizeFor

References:

“Pilot: AP African American Studies,” College Board, (n.d.), [link removed]
Dan Ladden-Hall, “DeSantis Blocks African-American Studies Course for Breaking Florida’s Anti-CRT Law,” Daily Beast, January 18, 2023, [link removed]
“Pilot: AP African American Studies.”; Bernard Grant, “AP African American Studies Pilot Introduces Diverse Changes,” Best Colleges, September 2, 2022, [link removed]
Ibid.
Emily McCain, “Governor DeSantis signs ‘Stop WOKE Act,’ special district bill into law,” ABC Action News, April 22, 2022, [link removed] Jennifer Delacruz, “2022 in the classroom: A look back on book bans, culture wars, and the fight over parental rights,” ABC Action News, December 22, 2022, [link removed]

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