BLACK LIVES MATTER!-EVEN IN THE TEXTBOOKS!

The “Stop W.O.K.E.” Act is a law passed in Florida that prohibits teaching concepts related to certain things relating to race. In this law, the word W.O.K.E. is an acronym for Wrong to Our Kids and Employees. In schools, teachers are not allowed to teach about racism, discrimination, or anything related to that. In businesses, it is supposed to protect the employees from harsh treatment concerning race. This law’s purpose was to erase culturally diverse histories from the young minds of this country, and to keep children from learning about the several types of lifestyles in this country.  

Recently, Florida’s governor Ron DeSantis, has banned the course of AP African American Studies from being taught in the school's system. He defends this by saying the AP African American Studies violates the Stop W.O.K.E. Act and lack educational value. But here’s the catch. There are several diverse cultural AP studies, but the one that is being specifically targeted and shut down is the one that talks about the history of the Black community of America. This clearly shows how the Florida governor is being racist towards the African American community. DeSantis has also banned Critical Race Theory from being taught in the classrooms. 

Due to this decree taking effect, several families as well as political figures in Florida and across the country are openly speaking against DeSantis’s choice. People are saying that he can’t rewrite the history of our country and how censoring certain topics hurts the students more than it helps them. Some students have even begun to sue him for this.  

Black history month is finally here, so it is important that we learn about our history and become aware of it to prevent similar incidents from happening again. You never know when someone would try to take advantage of your rights, so it is important to know them and protect them. Take pride in who you are and know your value. Happy Black History Month!