Karine Jean-Pierre, White House Press Secretary, blasting GOP Governor Ron
DeSantis for banning public schools from teaching AP African American history:
“It is incomprehensible to see that this is what this ban–or
this block, to be more specific–that DeSantis has put forward. If you think
about the study of Black Americans, that is what he wants to block and, again,
these types of actions aren’t new, especially from what we’re seeing from
Florida, sadly. Florida currently bans teachers from talking about who they are
and who they love. As we’ve talked about many times here in this briefing room,
they have banned more books in schools and libraries than almost every other
state in the country. And let’s not forget, they didn’t block AP European
History. They didn’t block our music history. They didn’t block our art
history. But the state chooses to block a course that is meant for high-achieving
high school students to learn about the history of arts and culture. And it is,
you know, it is incomprehensible again, and I will just leave it there. Leave
it there to make your own to make your own determination. of why this occurred
and why this happened. Again, it is not our place to direct or to be involved
in any local school curriculum. But this is concerning.”
I recently watched a documentary on the suspicious death of
high school student Kendrick Johnson in 2013. One of the side stories was of
Mary Tuner, who was lynched in Georgia in 1918 for the crime of speaking out
about her husband being lynched the day before. After the white mob strung Mary
Turner up by her feet, doused her with gasoline and oil then set on fire, her unborn
child was cut from her abdomen and stomped to death. Her body was then
repeatedly shot. No one was ever convicted of her lynching.
That’s American history; I hate it, but I need to know it so
I can try to make sure it doesn’t happens again. That story doesn’t make me
hate myself, or white people, it makes me hate the white people that did that
to Mary Turner.
If Ron DeSantis doesn’t want that story told in American
History classes he best be prepared for it to happen again.
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