The march began at 11 am at the “Booker T. Washington” High School and from there, dozens of educators advanced towards the headquarters of the school board in Miami-Dade: with their slogans and banners they protested against the methodological treatment of the African American history, in the Guide to Academic Standards for the new school year in Florida.
James Kirby, President of the Teamsters, assures: “We will not tolerate that they erase the real history of this country,” said the union leader.
The 2023 academic guide has become controversial due to this indication to teachers that says: “Include how slaves developed skills that, in some cases, could have been used for their personal benefit.”
Activist Marvin Dunn wonders: “What happened to the millions of slaves who died before emancipation? What benefits did they have? And if they had special abilities, those belonged to their masters.”
Educators, as well as academic advisers in African American history, believe that the new curriculum “dilutes” the reality of the impact of slavery in the country.
“Small details are consistent with the erosion of facts. It’s not about certain parts being taken out of context. The whole story is out of context,” says activist Jonathan Gartrelle.
Stephany Pacheco, who participated in the demonstration this Wednesday, expressed that “it is a lie… people were beaten, raped and enslaved,” she says in reference to this part of African-American history.
“It is important that history is taught to young people in the correct way,” remarks the Miami Dade College student.
“Teachers do not lie” they repeated today as a slogan. And between artistic exhibitions, they qualified the expressions of an always open national debate on the human and social impact of slavery and its teaching to future generations.
