As written by: Jenna Bourne (WTSP), Libby Hendren
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – The Florida Department of Education has appointed six new members to the Florida Commissioner of Education’s African American History Task Force weeks after 10 Investigates exposed the task force has been shrinking for years.
10 Investigates looked into the backgrounds of the new appointees and found the state is stacking the task force with allies of Gov. Ron DeSantis.
In their first task force meeting together on Wednesday, the six new members voted to put the task force’s virtual Summer Institute on pause – a move the four old members voted against. Hundreds of educators were scheduled to attend the Summer Institute next week.
Five of the six new members are active in Republican politics.
Some are openly anti-woke, against diversity, equity and inclusion programs, and opposed to the AP African American Studies curriculum.
And the current task force members say the Department of Education didn’t consult them; the agency informed them of the appointments after they’d already happened.
“It wasn’t a good feeling. It really wasn’t,” said the vice-chair of the African American History Task Force, Dr. Samuel Wright.
When we met up with Wright, he was surrounded by images of civil rights figures and educators. We were on a path called Leaders’ Row in Tampa’s Perry Harvey, Sr. Park.
“All our students need is an opportunity, first of all, to find out who they are and to understand the richness of their culture,” Wright said. “We shouldn’t just talk about Harriet Tubman or talk about Rosa Parks. We need to talk about all of the contributions that Black folk have made in America.”
Florida law requires schools to teach Black history. The African American History Task Force helps districts to comply.
In April, we reported that the task force had shrunk to just four voting members.
Only two of them showed up to the most recent meeting.
The Department of Education hadn’t appointed any new people for years, despite members recommending nominees to the state.
Days after our investigation came out, Wright wrote a letter asking the Florida Department of Education to appoint new members before July 1 and for a list of nominees they were considering “immediately.”
A couple of weeks later, on May 12, task force members got an email saying the Department of Education had appointed six new members, effective May 11 – the day before that email was sent.