August 12th 2023.
Dozens of concerned parents, educators, and lawmakers gathered in Miami Gardens' Antioch Baptist Church on Thursday, Aug. 10, to provide feedback to Florida's Department of Education about the new Black history teaching standards. The policy requires middle school educators to teach that enslaved people “developed skills which, in some instances, could be applied for their personal benefit.”
The forum was meant to be an open discussion, allowing everyone to express their anger and discontent over the new standards. However, Florida Education Commissioner Manny Diaz, who oversees the new policy enforcement, was nowhere to be found. He had agreed to attend the forum, even having a name placard displayed the night of the event. Speculation around his no-show suggests that it was due to the backlash of the policy.
In response, Diaz took to his X account to address the uproar stirred by his absence. He wrote, “There was nothing sudden about my inability to attend Senator Jones’s town hall. As I told the senator last week, I will be visiting schools throughout the state to welcome back students, parents and teachers for the first day of school.”
The American Federation of Teachers Secretary-Treasurer, Fedrick Ingram, called out Diaz for his absence in front of the crowd. “Manny Diaz is a coward,” he said. “Ron DeSantis and Manny Diaz both know how important this is for the Black community. They know they should’ve been here tonight to face you.”
Other prominent lawmakers and educators urged parents to teach their children about the true horrors of slavery at home since it’s being restricted in schools. Additionally, state Senator Jones informed the audience that a focus group was being set up to analyze the new policy standards more closely.
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