In Renee O'Connor's classroom, Black and Brown students
have the rare opportunity to ask tough questions.
friend,
In Renee O'Connor's classroom, Black and Brown students
have the rare opportunity to ask tough questions.
As a long-time African American studies teacher and advocate of the
SPLC's Learning for Justice
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program, O'Connor is on the front lines in Florida's war
on honest history. She teaches an African American Studies elective at
a predominantly Black high school in Miami-Dade County, a district
with 37 high schools and the third-largest school district in the
nation. Yet, her school is one of a small handful that offer an
African American studies course at all.
The students O'Connor teaches typically enter her classroom with
only the most basic Black history knowledge. "They only know
about Martin Luther King Jr.," she said, explaining that the
state curriculum's lack of African American history leaves
students in the dark, even at the high school level.
A recent explosion of school censorship and anti-student inclusion
laws in Florida is threatening to worsen the existing Black history
knowledge gap. Last month, Florida's State Board of Education
approved new public school standards that will teach students Black
people benefited from slavery
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. That decision comes on the heels of Florida Governor DeSantis'
rejection of the AP African American History curriculum
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, which his administration justified by saying the course is
"inexplicably contrary to Florida law and significantly lacks
educational value."
O'Connor remembers when The 1619 Project
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, a New York Times initiative exploring the consequences of slavery
and the contributions of Black Americans, was banned in Florida. For
her, that decision marked the beginning of a new era of teaching.
These days, O'Connor says students and teachers have a
heightened awareness that political forces threaten to silence
factual, honest narratives about slavery and Black Americans'
historic struggles for justice. Earlier this year, Florida educators
teaching an early pilot version of the AP African American History
course were interrupted mid-lesson and told to immediately cease their
instruction. Opaque, black paper covered books deemed
"woke" by the state.
O'Connor says the threats of censorship and erasure of Black
history didn't discourage her students - rather, they
became even more passionate about defending their right to learn. For
the first time, students consulted her on how to best stage a protest
against increasingly draconian censorship by Florida's education
officials.
Unfortunately, the majority of Florida high schools "deprive
students of the truth," says O'Connor. Very few offer
African American studies to begin with, and recent attacks on honest
history have a chilling effect that discourages schools from starting
new programs. O'Connor combats this chill by hosting weekly
video calls to share her curriculum with fellow educators looking to
pioneer African American history programs, and staying involved with
Learning for Justice's programs for educators teaching hard
history and inclusive education
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.
She also acknowledges that the subject matter she teaches, like the
Atlantic triangular slave trade, can weigh heavily on her students,
most of whom are Black. However, she believes that "in order for
change to happen, we have to be uncomfortable." Learning for
Justice offers free lesson plans, films, teaching strategies and more
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to help educators and parents at every grade level navigate topics
that can be uncomfortable for students without erasing the reality of
their history.
Thank you for supporting the SPLC's continued work to promote
honest history and diversity in Florida schools and beyond. Those
seeking to erase Black history show no signs of backing down, and we
need your help to stop them. If you're able, please make a
special gift today to help us dismantle white supremacy, strengthen
intersectional movements, and support teachers like Ms.
O'Connor.
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Donate Now
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Sincerely,
Your friends at the Southern Poverty Law Center
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