Florida’s ‘Stop WOKE’ Act Threatens the Future of Education
Governor Ron DeSantis speaking at a "Unite & Win" Rally in Pheonix, Arizona
The trajectory of Florida school districts has been painfully altered with Governor Ron DeSantis’ recently signed “Stop WOKE Act.” This bill, otherwise known as the “Stop Wrongs Against Our Kids and Employees” Act, was signed by DeSantis only a month after the “Don’t Say Gay” law was passed in March — both prohibiting the instruction of ostensibly “sensitive” lesson material in the classroom. Under “Stop WOKE,” the teaching of African American history and/or any discussion of diversity by a teacher is now considered illegal.
The whitewashing of Florida’s curriculum first arose after the College Board proposed an AP African American History course — a class that is taught in many other districts around the country — as a part of it. This course was ultimately rejected because of its focus on topics like “Black queer studies,” the Black Lives Matter movement, “intersectionality and activism” and “Black study/struggle in the 21st century” — all of which DeSantis felt “lack educational value.” This ban also censors the names of Black intellectuals associated with Critical Race Theory, the legal and academic ideology that credits systemic racism for the condition of our society.
Apart from what’s going on in Florida, the governor of New Jersey, Phil Murphy, has actually announced the expansion of this course in response to “Stop WOKE.”
“New Jersey will stand on the side of teaching our full history,” said Murphy in a statement.
After the Rosewood Massacre in 1923 — when white aggressors attacked the largely African American town of Rosewood, Florida — attempts to repair and prevent the adoption of such horrific mindsets were made and the teaching of Black history in K-12 schools was deemed mandatory. This law remained in place for 30 years until DeSantis’ recent ban on such material was mandated. This reversal is an obvious threat to any progress the state has made in recent years regarding racial intolerance.
“To me, ‘Stop WOKE’ means ‘stop being sensitive,’ ‘stop being informed,’ ‘stop caring about other communities besides your own,’” said Assistant Professor of History at Marist College, Steven Garabedian. “In the bigger picture, ‘Stop WOKE’ sounds to me like ‘stop the future and turn back the clock,’ and ‘stop trying to learn and grow.’”
The argument behind “Stop WOKE” is overtly hypocritical. The DeSantis Administration believes that the outlawed courses expose the continuance of oppression against African American people today. But stripping school curriculums of their history is oppression in itself, seeing that supporters of the law approve of unjustly ignoring essential parts of U.S. history due its potential to “indoctrinate” underdeveloped children.
As a professor of Public History, Dr. Garabedian believes inclusive history and culture studies can be taught with care to all age groups.
“I do think it should be taught in schools and showcased at public monuments, memorials, historic sites and museum spaces,” he said. “Child development and education specialists know the proper ways to distribute information in age-appropriate ways.”
This law has not only affected teachers, though, as it has also made necessary the vetting of books with references to race/racism in school libraries, with over 170 titles already banned. Librarians in these districts are now required to undergo yearly training sessions and act as media specialists in addition to their daily duties.
Critical examinations must be given to each book that goes on the shelves to ensure they do not possess an awareness of racism, LGBTQ+ themes or pornographic material; violation of this law can result in a felony charge. This is not only an obvious hazard to racial discrimination in the U.S. but an overreach in terms of the time teachers and library employees have to conduct such evaluations (as well as the current rates of employment in Florida).
Although catered to older learners, The Rebellious Life of Rosa Parks by Jeanne Theoharis, Blood at the Root: A Racial Cleansing in America by Patrick Phillips and How the World Is Passed: A Reckoning with the History of Slavery Across America by Clint Smith are all books recommended by Dr. Garabedian that cover these important topics.
Fear of this law’s migration into additional states is high — especially with the possibility of DeSantis becoming the GOP candidate for the 2024 presidential election.
“This reactionary trend is circulating, and there already have been tremors in our area,” said Dr. Garabedian. “The group Moms for Liberty made its presence known locally in the most recent elections.”
Thankfully, “Stop WOKE” has not been accepted in higher education contexts. Marist does a good job of teaching African American History, race, gender, sexuality studies, class and social justice.
“I think the college seeks to institutionalize such efforts broadly and more thoroughly,” said Dr. Garabedian. “I support that.”