Historians on DeSantis and the Fight Over Black History

This week, the College Board released the updated framework for its advanced African American Studies course amid backlash from conservative lawmakers over the curriculum.

Last month, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and the Florida Department of Education banned the course from being taught in the state’s public schools.

In a statement, the FDOE called the course a violation of state law and lacking in historical value, a claim that many experts and historians refute.

Critics say it’s a further attempt by conservative politicians to limit what and how history – particularly racial history – is taught.

What place should politics have in determining school curriculum? How should states regulate the teaching of history? We convene a panel of experts to talk about it.

Andrew Spar

president, Florida Education Association

Sen. Shevrin Jones

Democratic member of the Florida Senate, representing District 35

Adam Laats

education historian, professor of education at Binghamton University, author of “The Other School Reformers: Conservative Activism in American Education”

Natalia Mehlman Petrzela

professor of history, The New School; author, "Classroom Wars: Language, Sex, and the Making of Modern Political Culture."

Janai Nelson

President of the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund