Unlocking Black History: Florida Students Learn Beyond School Walls

Florida may have required African American history in schools for decades, but many students still receive incomplete lessons. This gap has led to community efforts like Charlene Farrington's Saturday classes at the Spady Cultural Heritage Museum in Delray Beach. Here, students delve into South Florida's Caribbean roots, the state’s dark history of lynchings, and the persistent effects of segregation. Meanwhile, Governor Ron DeSantis has been pushing to limit discussions of race and history in classrooms. His administration has banned certain African American Studies courses. Despite Florida's 1994 mandate to teach Black history, only a small portion of school districts have fully integrated it into their curricula according to state assessments. Tameka Bradley Hobbs, manager of Broward County’s African-American Research Library and Cultural Center, underscores the need for self-reliance in learning this history. Community programs and cultural institutions are stepping up. The nonprofit Faith in Florida has engaged over 400 congregations to teach Black history. Parents like Sulaya Williams, who couldn’t find sufficient Black history instruction for her children, are now teaching it themselves. Williams’ Saturday classes in Fort Lauderdale attract students eager to learn about their ancestors. Her 12-year-old daughter, Addah Gordon, notes that this learning feels personal and meaningful. Florida’s African American history mandate was a response to the 1923 Rosewood Massacre. Despite initial promise, historian Marvin Dunn points out that this momentum quickly faded. Today, as laws restrict classroom discussions on race, grassroots efforts are more critical than ever.