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☆ The ‘outside agitator’ narrative has a long history
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-27 | by ( Harmeet Kaur | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +13 min

In these instances, and others, authorities have not offered many specifics about who the “outside agitators” are, how significant their numbers are or how they differentiated outsiders from university-affiliated protesters. “It seems to me that the ‘outside agitator’ claim is one to shift the focus away from the grievances of the students and their protest.”The emphasis on “outside agitators,” Morris says, detracts from the central issue that is driving students to protest: Israel’s war in Gaza. ‘Outside agitator’ trope has a long historyYou don’t have to look far back in history to find examples of the “outside agitator” narrative. “We want to say as clearly as possible - we welcome ‘outside agitators’ to our struggle against the ruthless genocide of Palestinians.”Still, the use of the term is more complicated than it seems. As pro-Israel politicians have amplified concerns around antisemitism, some supporters of students’ right to free expression have suggested “outside agitators” are undermining otherwise peaceful protests.

Persons: ”, Eric Adams, Kaz Daughtry, Gregory Fenves, Aldon Morris, Morris, aren’t, ” Morris, ’, detracts, Donald Trump, Trump, George Floyd, Jose Lusi Magana, —, Kathleen Fitzgerald, White, ” Fitzgerald, Bruce Solomon, Solomon, Martin Luther King Jr, “, Emory, Ayanna Pressley, Hank Johnson, Netanyahu, ” Alex Slitz, ” What’s Organizations: CNN, New York Police Department, Columbia University, New York University, New York City, NYPD, Fox, Emory University, University, Emory, Northwestern University, Associated, AP, White House, Washington D.C, Getty, Parkland, Civil Rights Movement, University of North, Southern Christian Leadership Conference, ”, Atlanta, Spelman College, Yale University, Chapel Hill, University of Texas Locations: Gaza, New York, York, ”, Washington, AFP, Oklahoma, Ferguson , Missouri, University of North Carolina, Mississippi, Brooklyn, Jackson, Miss, Birmingham, United States, Israel, Atlanta, Georgia, Columbia, Austin

☆ Melina Abdullah: Cornel West announces fellow academic as running mate
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-10 | by ( Aaron Pellish | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

We can be expansive and imaginative.”Abdullah, who was raised Baptist, said she believes her religious background ties into the core themes of West’s campaign. A contrast with BidenWest’s choice of a Muslim running mate accentuates his push to appeal to Muslim American voters who are dissatisfied with Biden’s handling of the Israel-Hamas war. “That said, Black Lives Matter does not endorse candidates, right? So Black Lives Matter will not be endorsing me. People within Black Lives Matter, my prayer and hope is that they’ll come with us.

Persons: Cornel, Melina Abdullah, Smiley, ” West, “, Fannie Lou Hamer, Martin Luther King Jr, Abdullah, Joe Biden, ”, I’ve, ” Abdullah, Annahita, ’, ’ ” Abdullah, Biden, accentuates, West, Dexter Reed, Kamala Harris, “ Biden, Harris, Lloyd Austin, We’re, Cornel West, Donald Trump, Matt Corridoni, “ I’ve Organizations: CNN, Independent, Cornel West, Black, California State University , Los, “, Muslim, Democratic National Committee, ”, Howard University, American Studies, University of Southern Locations: Muslim, California State University , Los Angeles, Israel, Michigan, Gaza, Chicago, University of Southern California

☆ Opinion: Women’s History Month is a time to hear this call for an AP course in women’s history
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-29 | by ( Opinion Elena Sheppard | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Elena Sheppard Courtesy Elena SheppardThis gap in my education — and in many American students’ educations — is one with serious repercussions. To combat that, two high school history teachers have started a national campaign to incorporate more women’s history into high school classrooms via Advanced Placement (AP) classes. Their argument, as laid out on their website, is that women’s history is not sufficiently taught. In AP US History, women’s suffrage, for example, is taught as just one of many movements encapsulated in the Progressive Era. It’s a safe assumption that a women’s studies AP course would face similar controversy and scrutiny, particularly with the inclusion of women’s reproductive rights.

Persons: Elena Sheppard, ”, I’d, Betsy Ross, Dorothea Dix, Lucy Delaney, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, —, Kristen Kelly, Serene Williams, Kelly, Williams, Roe, Wade, Ron DeSantis, Mississippi — Organizations: Cuban, Martin’s Press, CNN, College Board —, College Board, AP, Government, Politics, AP African American Studies, Florida Gov Locations: Cuban Diaspora, St, United States, Florida, Arkansas, Virginia, North Dakota, Mississippi

In 1950, a young Black man traveled north from Washington to New York City. He was stunningly handsome and on the shorter side; his cheekbones sat high in a face hewed for the screen. Against all odds, the 19-year-old Louis Johnson had been accepted into the School of American Ballet; later on, he would describe himself as the “first Black Black” student there. Or as Thomas DeFrantz, a professor of African and African American studies, dance and theater, put it, the few Black students who had previously been enrolled at the School of American Ballet were “what we call fluorescent beige.”

Persons: cheekbones, Louis Johnson, Thomas DeFrantz Organizations: School of American Ballet, Black Locations: Washington, New York City

☆ Generative AI startup Latimer, known as the 'BlackGPT', will launch a new bias detection tool and API
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-23 | by ( Monica Melton | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The AI startup, named after inventor Lewis Howard Latimer and affectionately known as "The BlackGPT" is an answer to the bias, lack of cultural competency, and erasure found in popular AI tools like ChatGPT, says Latimer CEO and cofounder John Pasmore. Pasmore said the company has plans to launch about five more products specifically focused on bias detection. The move-fast, break-things energy in AI created an opportunity for Latimer, Pasmore said. This method is baked into Latimer's nascent suite of business offerings set to launch after the release of its API. He is confident that there is "a billion-dollar opportunity" to address bias in incumbent AI offerings for enterprises.

Persons: —, Latimer, Lewis Howard Latimer, John Pasmore, Pasmore, Molefi Kete Asante, Brown, it's Latimer, Esther Dyson Organizations: Service, Business, Black, Morgan State, TRS Capital, Syncom Venture Partners Locations: Swiss

Ron DeSantis warned in a CNN town hall Tuesday night that Republicans are “going to lose” the 2024 election if they nominate former President Donald Trump. Nikki Haley – in Iowa’s caucuses, the Florida governor fielded questions in New Hampshire at a town hall moderated by CNN’s Wolf Blitzer. Here are five takeaways from DeSantis’ town hall:Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, left, participates in a CNN Republican presidential town hall moderated by Wolf Blitzer, right, at New England College in Henniker, New Hampshire, on January 16, 2024. DeSantis answers a question during the town hall in New Hampshire on January 16, 2024.

Persons: Ron DeSantis, Donald Trump, Nikki Haley –, CNN’s Wolf Blitzer, Haley, Trump, “, ” DeSantis, “ We’re, ”, Wolf Blitzer, Will Lanzoni, CNN DeSantis, won’t, DeSantis, Ryan Binkley, it’s, DeSantis ’, That’s, Republicans DeSantis, lumping, Joe Biden, hadn’t, we’ve, Scott, –, MSNBC’s Joy Reid, “ We’ve, — that’s Organizations: CNN, Florida Gov, Trump, South Carolina Gov, Republican, CNN Republican, New England College, ABC News, New, GOP, Nevada Republican, Republicans, Trump voters, College Board, Republican Party, defund, Fox, Disney Locations: Iowa’s, Florida, New Hampshire, DeSantis ’, Henniker , New Hampshire, South Carolina, Granite State, Nevada, Dallas, Iowa, DeSantis, United States, Covid, Orlando

☆ I worry I got into Yale only because I'm Black. I now do everything I can to prove I belong.
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-26 | by ( Miles Kirkpatrick | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

AdvertisementAdvertisementThis has been a bit of a secret, but when I applied to Yale, I chose to apply as an African American-studies major on a whim. Regardless, part of me thinks I got in because I'm Black and chose the smaller major of African American studies. I'm now working extra hard to prove I belong at Yale. The fact that I didn't get into Princeton made me think my Yale acceptance wasn't guaranteed. I could have edged out a more qualified candidate who was not a person of color because I'm Black.

Persons: —, Du Bois, Black, I'm, advisedly, would've, I've, Henry Louis Gates Jr, Cornel, Gates, we're Organizations: Yale, Service, Harvard, Princeton, Yale Political Union, American Student Association, Black Yale, Cultural Center Locations: American, East Coast

“The attacks on our democracy are happening on all fronts,” said Nicole Austin-Hillery, president & CEO of the foundation. Several speakers also criticized the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision earlier this year ending affirmative action in college admissions. LaTosha Brown, co-founder of the Black Voters Matter Fund, drew on the struggle for civil and voting rights as inspiration to push back harder against restrictive laws and to expand the ability to vote. She noted how Black Americans had once been denied even the ability to learn to read and write. ___The Associated Press coverage of race and voting receives support from the Jonathan Logan Family Foundation.

Persons: ”, Nicole Austin, “, Ron DeSants, Damon Hewitt, ” Hewitt, LaTosha Brown, You’ve, Stacey Plaskett, Donald Trump, Jonathan Logan Organizations: WASHINGTON, Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, Black Caucus, Republican, Black, U.S, ’, Civil, Fund, Virgin Islands, Department, Associated Press, Jonathan Logan Family Foundation, AP Locations: U.S, ”, Florida, U.S .

☆ US Supreme Court's Jackson urges nation's history of racism to be taught
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-15 | by ( Andrew Chung | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] U.S. Supreme Associate Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson waves during a photo opportunity outside the U.S. Supreme Court following an investiture ceremony for Justice Jackson at the court in Washington, U.S., September 30, 2022. Jackson used part of her speech as a warning against "complacency and ignorance." "Learning about our country's history can be painful, but history is also our best teacher," she said. In July, the state sparked controversy by approving new guidelines on teaching Black history, including how enslaved people acquired skills for "personal benefit." Jackson's speech echoed her dissent last June to the court's landmark ruling effectively ending college and university affirmative action policies in admissions.

Persons: Ketanji Brown Jackson, Justice Jackson, Kevin Lamarque, Jackson, Addie Mae Collins, Carole Robertson, Cynthia Wesley, Denise McNair, Ron DeSantis, Andrew Chung, Aurora Ellis Organizations: U.S, REUTERS, Supreme, Baptist Church, Ku Klux, Civil, Republican, African American Studies, Black, Thomson Locations: Washington , U.S, United States, Birmingham , Alabama, Birmingham, Florida, New York

☆ Ketanji Brown Jackson urges teaching of US history of racism
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-15 | by ( Andrew Chung | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] U.S. Supreme Associate Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson waves during a photo opportunity outside the U.S. Supreme Court following an investiture ceremony for Justice Jackson at the court in Washington, U.S., September 30, 2022. Jackson used part of her speech as a warning against "complacency and ignorance." "Learning about our country's history can be painful, but history is also our best teacher," she said. Jackson's speech comes at a time of conflict in several states over the teaching of history in schools, especially in Florida, which has restricted some educational efforts regarding racism, slavery and LGBTQ rights. In July, the state sparked controversy by approving new guidelines on teaching Black history, including how enslaved people acquired skills for "personal benefit."

☆ Florida state colleges may allow entrance exam favored by many conservatives
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-08 | by ( Sharon Bernstein | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Students stage a walk out from Hillsborough High School to protest after Florida education officials voted to ban classroom instruction on gender identity and sexual orientation in all public school grades. The Board of Governors of the 12-campus State University System of Florida will consider the adoption of the Classic Learning Test (CLT) on Friday. The test's adoption would mark the third time that Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has taken on the non-profit College Board, which administers the SAT, or Scholastic Aptitude Test. The College Board has pushed back against the new test, criticizing as flawed a study meant to compare students' scores on the CLT with scores on the SAT. Reporting by Sharon Bernstein in Sacramento, California; editing by Grant McCoolOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Octavio Jones, Chancellor Ray Rodrigues, Ron DeSantis, DeSantis, Priscilla Rodriguez, Jeremy Tate, Tate, Thomas Aquinas, Dante Alighieri, Frederick Douglass, Flannery O'Connor, Sharon Bernstein, Grant McCool Organizations: Hillsborough High School, REUTERS, Governors, State University System, ACT, Florida, Board, Republican, College, American Studies, The, College Board, Thomson Locations: Florida, Tampa , Florida, U.S, Southern U.S, Sacramento , California

☆ DeSantis is taking aim at 'zombie studies' on the campaign trail. It's a real thing
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-06 | by ( Annie Nova | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

Her course lessons include chemical zombification, bacterial zombification and fungal zombification. Lauro, the University of Tampa professor, is scheduled to give a talk in Frankfurt, Germany, this month called, "Who's Afraid of Zombie Studies?" "The talk is pretty much entirely about this DeSantis nonsense, as well as what DeSantis is doing to education in Florida," Lauro said. Since DeSantis has taken aim at Black history, I think we can connect the dots on why the idea of 'zombie studies' gets under his skin so much. The first wave of zombie fiction hit the U.S. in the late 1920s, during the time of the Great Depression.

Persons: Ron DeSantis, Paul Hennessy, Lightrocket, Eric Smaw, DeSantis, Smaw, automatism, Tatiana Tatum, Tatum, Gino Del Guercio, Del Guercio, Lauro, Sarah Juliet Lauro Organizations: Florida Gov, Rollins College, Rollins College In, Saint Xavier University in, Getty, Harvard Magazine, University of Tampa, Studies, Florida's Department of Education Locations: Florida, Auburndale , Florida, Winter Park , Florida, Canadian, Saint Xavier University in Chicago, tetrodotoxin, pufferfish, Haiti, Frankfurt, Germany, Africa, Caribbean, Hollywood

☆ Sixty years after King's 'dream' speech, thousands gather in Washington
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-26 | by ( Rachel Nostrant | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Chi and Chiamaka Okonkwo take a selfie in front of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial in Washington, U.S., January 16, 2023. REUTERS/Julia Nikhinson Acquire Licensing RightsAug 26 (Reuters) - Thousands of Americans will converge on Washington on Saturday to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the March on Washington, a pivotal event in the 1960s U.S. civil rights movement at which Martin Luther King Jr gave his galvanizing "I have a dream" speech. Many credit the show of strength with the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Organized by the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and other civil rights groups, this year's march takes place at the Lincoln Memorial, the backdrop to King's impassioned call for equality. Speakers at Saturday's march will include civil rights leaders such as the Reverend Al Sharpton, King's son Martin Luther King III, his granddaughter Yolanda Renee King and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries.

Persons: Chi, Martin Luther King, Jr, Julia Nikhinson, Martin Luther King Jr, Kimberle Crenshaw, Crenshaw, Al Sharpton, King's, Martin Luther King III, Yolanda Renee King, Hakeem Jeffries, Jonathan Greenblatt, we've, Greenblatt, Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, John F, Kennedy, Chanelle Johnson, Johnson, Rachel Nostrant, Rosalba O'Brien Organizations: REUTERS, Civil, National Association for, Advancement of Colored People, Lincoln Memorial, African American Policy, African American Studies, Defamation League, White, National Council of Negro, Youth, Collegiate Affairs, Thomson Locations: Washington , U.S, Washington, Florida, Arkansas, King's

☆ Little Rock Nine members slam restrictions on AP African American Studies course in Arkansas
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-19 | by ( John L. Dorman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Two members of the Little Rock Nine criticized a state decision regarding an AP African American Studies course. In the North Little Rock and Jacksonville North Pulaski school districts, officials announced that the course would count as a "local elective" instead. In interviews with NBC News, Little Rock Nine members Elizabeth Eckford and Terrence Roberts spoke out against the state's actions. The AP African American Studies course was offered by Central High during the previous school year, and it will also be an option for students during the new school year. Huckabee Sanders, who was elected to the governorship last November after serving as White House press secretary under then-President Donald Trump from 2017 to 2019, is also a graduate of Central High.

Persons: Huckabee Sanders, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, Elizabeth Eckford, Terrence Roberts, Eckford, Roberts, Donald Trump Organizations: Little Rock Nine, AP, American Studies, Gov, Service, Little, Rock Central High School, Arkansas Department of Education, Studies, Arkansas, Jacksonville North, Republican Gov, NBC News, Republican Party, Fox News, AP African American Studies, Central High, White, Central Locations: Wall, Silicon, Little Rock, Jacksonville North Pulaski, America

☆ Once a Force in Harlem, the Oldest Black Church in New York Hangs On
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-18 | by ( Mia Jackson | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

“The history of Harlem churches is bound up with the history of cities and the changes that happen within the cities,” said Prof. Wallace Best, who teaches African American studies and religion at Princeton University and is writing a book on Black churches in Harlem. But the church will be unable to financially sustain itself and uphold its legacy of tending to the spiritual, political, and social needs of its community, without a dramatic uptick in its membership and donation flow. On any given Sunday, a few dozen or so churchgoers, primarily a mixture of older congregants and curious tourists, fill the pews. The First Sunday After Second-class TreatmentThe very first Sunday service of the church was held in 1796 in a cabinetmaker’s shop in Lower Manhattan on Cross Street, flanked by Orange and Mulberry Streets. A group of former slaves, dissatisfied with their second-class treatment in the predominantly white John Street Methodist Church, left to start Zion church under the leadership of its first bishop, James Varick.

Persons: ”, Wallace Best, paraders, Adam Clayton Powell Jr, James Varick Organizations: African, Princeton University, National Trust for Historic Preservation, The New York Times, Cross, John Street Methodist Church, John Street Methodist, Methodist Church, Episcopal Locations: Harlem, Lower Manhattan, Orange, Mulberry, ”

☆ Little Rock Will Offer A.P. African American Studies Despite State Objections
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-17 | by ( Dana Goldstein | More About Dana Goldstein | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +4 min

The same legislation weakened teachers’ tenure protections, which has raised the stakes in the confrontation with the state over African American studies. African American Studies will allow students to explore the complexities, contributions and narratives that have shaped the African American experience throughout history, including Central High School’s integral connection,” the district said. African American studies is a rigorous, fact-based class protected under the law, and not an example of ideology or opinion. Huckabee Sanders pointed out that the state already offered an African American history course and that the A.P. African American studies and were planning a joint response.

Persons: “ A.P, ”, Reisma, Huckabee Sanders, Ivory Toldson, Toldson, Ron DeSantis, Black Organizations: Little Rock School District, Little Rock Central High School, American Studies, Central, Educators, Arkansas Education Association, The Arkansas Department of Education, Gov, U.S . National Guard, Rock Central High School, NAACP, Little, Nine, Howard University, College Board, Republican Locations: Arkansas, American, Florida

☆ On Our National Mall, New Monuments Tell New Stories
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-17 | by ( Blake Gopnik | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

Combine those three terms, and you often end up in a glorious muddle. For just one month, Friday, Aug. 18 through Sept. 18, the National Mall will be hosting “Pulling Together,” an open-air exhibition that tests what works best, or fails least, when artists, publics and monuments are brought together. “Pulling Together” makes room for monuments that talk, for instance, about Black church leaders with AIDS, about the schoolchildren who cut through Washington’s color line, and about Asian migration after America’s war in Vietnam. (One shocking absence: art that addresses the sexism undermining half the world’s humans. The show is planned as the first installment in “Beyond Granite,” a series of temporary public projects led by the Trust for the National Mall with the National Capital Planning Commission and the National Park Service.

Persons: Paul Farber, Salamishah Tillet, Lincoln, Farber Organizations: Art, AIDS, Trust, National Capital Planning Commission, National Park Service, Rutgers University, The New York Times, Mellon Foundation Locations: Vietnam, Philadelphia

☆ Arkansas Says AP African American Studies Course May Violate State Law
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-15 | by ( Joseph De Avila | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

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Persons: Dow Jones, d2283568 Locations: arkansas

☆ Arkansas Warns School Districts Not to Offer A.P. African American Studies
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-14 | by ( Dana Goldstein | More About Dana Goldstein | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +3 min

African American Studies has had a tumultuous journey since its official rollout in February, when it emerged that the College Board had revised the course’s content. African American studies is interdisciplinary, encompassing concepts from history, sociology, politics, legal studies, arts and culture. But the College Board removed or watered down key subjects and concepts from the course framework, such as critical race theory and mass incarceration. The College Board said it “rejects the notion that the A.P. African American studies course is indoctrination in any form.” And it pointed out that more than 200 colleges have already agreed to provide credit for the class, including the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville, the state’s flagship public postsecondary institution.

Persons: Ron DeSantis, —, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, Jacob Oliva, DeSantis, Alexa Henning, Huckabee Sanders, “ Organizations: American Studies, College Board, Gov, Florida Republican, Board, Republican, Arkansas Department of Education, Twitter, The, University of Arkansas Locations: Florida, Arkansas, Fayetteville

☆ Opinion: AP Psychology controversy exposes the lie behind Florida’s push for ‘parental rights’
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-08 | by ( Neil J. Young | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

The College Board AP Psychology course contains such content.”“College Board requires educators to teach the entire curriculum for an AP course for college credit consideration,” it said, “therefore AP Psychology is no longer a potential course option for Florida students to receive college credit.”Other school districts in Florida made similar announcements. In the current fight over AP Psychology, the College Board has indicated it doesn’t plan to negotiate with Florida. That AP Psychology has even been caught in the crosshairs of the “Don’t Say Gay” law may surprise many Florida parents. In April, that plan became clearer when the Florida State Board of Education expanded its ban on instruction about sexual orientation and gender identity through the 12th grade. It was the fifth most popular AP course in the state in 2021.

Persons: Neil J, Young, “, ”, Margo K, hasn’t, it’s, Manny Diaz Jr, wokeism, “ It’s, Ron DeSantis, Florida’s Organizations: CNN, Florida Department of Education, College Board AP, “, College Board, AP, Florida Gov, Florida State, of Education, Twitter, Republican Locations: Orange County , Florida, Florida, Florida —

☆ Florida effectively bans advanced psychology course over LGBTQ content, course developer says
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-03 | by ( Sharon Bernstein | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

"To be clear, any AP Psychology course taught in Florida will violate either Florida law or college requirements," the organization said in a statement posted on its website on Thursday. "Therefore, we advise Florida districts not to offer AP Psychology until Florida reverses their decision and allows parents and students to choose to take the full course." "We encourage the College Board to stop playing games with Florida students and continue to offer the course and allow teachers to operate accordingly." Palelis did not immediately respond to a question about whether the state had advised superintendents that the course violated state law. Discussions between the state and College Board about the psychology course began in May, a letter from Florida posted by the College Board on its website showed.

Persons: Ron DeSantis, Read, Donald Trump, Cassandra Palelis, Palelis, Sharon Bernstein, Colleen Jenkins, Richard Chang Organizations: Hillsborough High School, Republican, U.S, AP, American, College Board, Florida Department of Education, Florida, The, Board, Thomson Locations: Florida

☆ Harris rejects invite to debate slavery with Ron DeSantis
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Elizabeth Frantz/File PhotoWASHINGTON, Aug 1 (Reuters) - U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris on Tuesday rejected an invitation from Florida Governor Ron DeSantis to discuss the state's new Black history curriculum and said she will not be debating the topic of slavery with him. DeSantis, who is running for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, on Monday invited Harris to Florida to discuss the state's new Black history curriculum after the vice president criticized it for backing guidelines that taught "revisionist history" about slavery in the United States. On Tuesday, Harris said, "I will tell you, there is no roundtable, no lecture, no invitation we will accept to debate an undeniable fact: There were no redeeming qualities of slavery." Harris flew to Orlando to deliver remarks at an African Methodist Episcopal Church event. Reporting by Nandita Bose in Washington; Editing by Alistair BellOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Kamala Harris, Reverend Wheeler Parker, Jr, Emmett Till, Mamie Till, Elizabeth Frantz, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, DeSantis, Harris, Biden, Nandita Bose, Alistair Bell Organizations: U.S, White, REUTERS, Florida Governor, Monday, African Methodist Episcopal, Republicans, Thomson Locations: Illinois, Mississippi, Washington , U.S, Florida, United States, Orlando, Iowa, Chicago, Washington

☆ Vice President Harris rejects DeSantis invite to debate slavery curriculum
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Vice-President Kamala Harris participates in a political event with reproductive rights groups at the Mayflower Hotel in Washington, U.S., June 23, 2023. REUTERS/Evelyn HocksteinWASHINGTON, Aug 1 (Reuters) - U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris on Tuesday rejected an invitation from Florida Governor Ron DeSantis to discuss the state's new Black history curriculum and said she will not be debating the topic of slavery with him. DeSantis, who is running for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, on Monday invited Harris to Florida to discuss the state's new Black history curriculum after the vice president criticized it for backing guidelines that she said taught "revisionist history" about slavery in the United States. On Tuesday, Harris, made a previously-scheduled speech in the state, telling the audience, "Well, I'm here in Florida. Reporting by Nandita Bose in Washington; Editing by Alistair Bell and Bill BerkrotOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Kamala Harris, Evelyn Hockstein WASHINGTON, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, DeSantis, Harris, Biden, Nandita Bose, Alistair Bell, Bill Berkrot Organizations: Mayflower, REUTERS, Florida Governor, Monday, African Methodist Episcopal, Republicans, Thomson Locations: Washington , U.S, Florida, United States, Orlando, Iowa, Chicago, Washington

☆ Ron DeSantis Wants to Tell the Future by Controlling the Past - The New York Times
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-28 | by ( Jamelle Bouie | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

It’s an important point that you can also find in the College Board’s Advanced Placement class in African American Studies. “In addition to agricultural work, enslaved people learned specialized trades and worked as painters, carpenters, tailors, musicians and healers in the North and South,” the A.P. “Once free, African Americans used these skills to provide for themselves and others.”Similar points, yes, but the language isn’t quite the same. To say that any more than a fortunate few could “parlay” their skills into anything that might improve their lives is to spin a fiction. For them, there was no point after slavery where they could use their skills.

Persons: It’s, ”, Donald Yacovone Organizations: African American Studies, British Crown Locations: North, North America, British, United States

☆ The History of the Lynching Site Where Jason Aldean Filmed a Music Video
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-21 | by ( Rebecca Carballo | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The new video for the country singer Jason Aldean’s song “Try That in a Small Town” takes place outside a courthouse in Tennessee where, nearly a century ago, an 18-year-old Black man was attacked by a mob and lynched. Mr. Aldean was criticized after releasing the video, which included violent news footage of looting and unrest during protests in American cities. Country Music Television pulled the video this week after accusations surfaced on social media that its lyrics and message were offensive. “I think there is a lack of sensitivity using that courthouse as a prop,” said Cheryl L. Keyes, chair of the department of African American studies and a professor of ethnomusicology at U.C.L.A. The teenager who was lynched, Henry Choate, had traveled from his home in Coffee County, Tenn., where he worked in road construction, to visit his grandfather in nearby Maury County on Nov. 11, 1927 — Armistice Day, as it was known at the time, or Veterans Day today.

Persons: Jason Aldean’s, Aldean, ”, Cheryl L, Keyes, Henry Choate Organizations: Country Music Television Locations: Tennessee, U.C.L.A, Coffee County, Tenn, Maury County

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