The clash between Governor Ron DeSantis and the defenders of an Advanced Placement African American Studies course ratcheted up another notch on Wednesday. The famed attorney Ben Crump says he plans to bring a class-action lawsuit against the state if it doesn’t reverse its decision.
A crowd gathered in the Florida Capitol to hear state lawmakers, Crump and the three students who will participate as plaintiffs in the lawsuit should it be brought. News had already come that the College Board will revise the African American Studies course rejected by the state Department of Education. But Crump made it clear he saw meaning in the clash beyond the state of Florida.
“Are we going to let Governor DeSantis or anybody exterminate Black history from the classrooms in Florida? Senator Hill, will we let Governor DeSantis or anybody exterminate Black history in the classrooms across America?”
The College Board will release its revised version of the course on February 1. It’s unclear whether the revision is routine or not. DeSantis on Monday pointed to Black Queer studies and intersectionality as aspects of the current course curriculum that he finds objectionable.
