(ConservativeFreePress.com) – In Florida, several Black congregations and churches have been teaching their own Black history versions which are not aligned with the guidelines the state set earlier this year.
Republican presidential candidate and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has been heavily criticized for the changes introduced by the Florida Department of Education (DOE) on the educational curriculum for K-12 students. The Education Department in January banned an AP African American Studies course that was part of a high school pilot program in 60 schools. At the time, DeSantis’ press secretary Jeremy Redfern stated the program lacked “educational value” and “historical accuracy.” In July, DeSantis defended the curriculum standards while adding that he was not involved with the process.
Many Black pastors in Florida churches have started to deliver Black history lessons as they believe things occurred. Friendship Missionary Baptist Church Pastor Kenneth Johnson in a recent online lesson discussed the transatlantic slave trade as part of an educational series.
Johnson has claimed that this was not a sermon that they don’t require the approval of the government in order to teach their own history and this was a “legitimate class.”
Faith in Florida, a nonpartisan network of congregation community organizations, also noted in May that they had created a curriculum that is going to teach education and history. They have also added an online toolkit that can be used by the African-American community to get a better understanding of their history and past. Linda Wiggins-Chavis, the research and policy coordinator of the grip, also noted that those who were brought to America developed their skill in spite of slavery, not because of it.
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