The Florida Board of Education recently approved academic standards that asserted slaves benefitted from slavery. The Florida Board of Education’s approval of new standards for teaching Black history in public schools has faced criticism from education and civil rights advocates who argue that students should learn the “full truth” of American history.
Historian Marvin Dunn is interviewed following last week’s decision to approve a new set of standards for how Black history should be taught in the state’s schools.
The new standards follow legislation prohibiting instruction suggesting race-based privilege or oppression and include requirements for middle and high school students to learn about the skills developed by slaves for their personal benefit and the acts of violence perpetrated against and by African Americans during historical events like the Ocoee massacre, the Atlanta race massacre, the Tulsa race massacre, and the Rosewood race massacre. Critics insist that students deserve an accurate portrayal of history, acknowledging the horrors of slavery and Jim Crow as vital aspects of American history.
