Leon County Commissioner Bill Proctor, a Black Democrat, agreed with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, R., last week that a proposed AP African American history course that was rejected by the state's Department of Education constitutes propaganda rather than a legitimate educational curriculum. DeSantis blocked the course on grounds that it violated the Sunshine State's Stop WOKE Act that was passed last year.
"I think it’s trash," Proctor said about the curriculum.
"There is grave concern about the tone and the tenor of leadership’s voice from the highest spaces in our state being hostile to teaching of African American history," he noted.
DESANTIS SAYS FLORIDA WILL CUT FUNDING TO ALL CRT, DEI PROGRAMS: ‘WITHER ON THE VINE'
"Well frankly I’m against the College Board’s curriculum. I think it’s trash. It’s not African American history. It is ideology," Proctor continued.
"I’ve taught African American history, I’ve structured syllabuses for African American history. I am African American history. And talking about ‘queer’ and ‘feminism’ and all of that for the struggle for freedom and equality and justice has not been no tension with queerness and feminist thought at all," he argued.
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Critics of critical race theory argue that it is embedded in Marxism, demoralizes Black students by making them feel as though success is unattainable, and villainize White students as inherently racist and the beneficiaries of an oppressive system.
DeSantis has been a frequent opponent of CRT and has utilized the power of his office to expunge it from school curriculums, colleges, and government agencies throughout his tenure.
DeSantis won re-election in the 2022 midterm elections by a whopping 19.4 percent margin and is seen by many as a potential 2024 presidential candidate.
