WHITEWASHING

Florida Officials Wanted Multiple ‘Viewpoints’ on Enslavement

Education officials said historical accounts against enslavement “may only present one side of this issue.”

Before Florida completely rejected African American Advanced Placement courses in schools, state officials attempted to water down how European enslavers benefitted from forced Black labor by searching for opposing viewpoints. According to a recent review of internal communications, state education officials weren’t too thrilled about students being taught that Africans were ripped from their home continent for the capitalistic convenience of Europeans colonizing the Americas. In fact, state officials claimed that the well-documented history “may lead to a viewpoint of an ‘oppressor vs. oppressed’ based solely on race or ethnicity.” Officials said those historical accounts “may only present one side of this issue and may not offer any opposing viewpoints or other perspectives on the subject.” Nonetheless, the Florida Department of Education completely rejected the academic outline when state officials claimed the content was “unsuitable” for students.