In striking down the “Stop W.O.K.E Act,” Florida’s ban on teaching race and gender as subjects, the state’s court of appeals dealt a blow to the broader conservative-backed strategy to whitewash curriculum.
The move came just days after state lawmakers in the North Carolina House overrode Democratic Gov. Josh Stein’s veto on a package of similar measures, including diverse, equitable, and inclusive teaching practices in schools.
Significance. The laws were written and championed by Republican lawmakers seeking to ban teaching of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in Florida and North Carolina public schools, public universities, and community colleges. Republican lawmakers claim that lessons on DEI topics like race, sex, and gender are “divisive” and breed an environment where students “feel guilt, anguish, or any other form of psychological distress.”
Overlooked angle. Bans against “woke” and DEI lessons in local public schools have also been championed by the Trump administration. An analysis by the Movement Advancement Project shows that DEI initiatives are necessary for accurate political representation that reflects the country’s intricate and diverse needs. Bans to these topics and initiatives, especially in education, also create a breeding ground for ignorant and discriminatory practices in future hiring, educational, and social systems.
The power structure. Lawmakers in Florida and North Carolina have launched countless attacks on teachers and curricula that teach DEI lessons through intimidation tactics that prevent them from teaching uncomfortable moments in history and the human experience.
The Trump administration has backed these anti-DEI initiatives in education by threatening to pull funding from schools that create an inclusive environment.
Who this impacts. Such bans deeply impact teachers, administrators, and all students —especially Black and Brown students and those of different genders and sexual orientations. More broadly, lack of diverse approaches to education could result in a climate in which the nation’s future voters never learn to accept others and become intolerant of different identities.
Lived experience. Teachers in Florida and North Carolina say that these attacks by Republican lawmakers make harmful assumptions about their motives and impinge on their free speech.
“We do not indoctrinate,” said Candi Tucker, a North Carolina civics teacher, in a statement to EdNC. “I don’t know of a single teacher that is trying to force their personal opinions on any group of students.”
After the appeals court in Florida struck down the “Stop W.O.K.E. Act,” Carrie McNamara, senior staff attorney at the ACLU of Florida, said in a press release, “By upholding the district court’s ruling, the Eleventh Circuit ensured that our system of higher education is guided by the principle of free speech, not government censorship. Our classrooms are meant to be rooms of curiosity, creativity, and learning. When we stifle this kind of critical thinking, we risk losing our education system as we know it.”
What experts say. “Governor DeSantis’ nefarious attack on truth, history and public education cannot be masked by a fatuous acronym mocking a Black colloquialism. H.B.7 (House Bill 7) seeks to deprive future generations of knowledge, information, and the ability to appreciate the humanity of their fellow citizens. It is also a direct and unlawful assault on the bedrock principle of free speech in a democracy,” said Janai S. Nelson, president and director-council of the Legal Defense Fund, in a statement. “Florida’s dangerous anti-truth measure is part of an extremely troubling wave of legislation across the country aimed at limiting essential free exchange in classrooms, undermining facts of history, and blunting the quality of education students receive — especially as it relates to issues of race and systemic inequality. We must all reject these attacks.”
What can you do? To fight against lawmakers banning DEI initiatives in schools, support groups such as the NAACP, the National Urban League, and others, which are advocating for equitable approaches to education.
