Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis refuses to seem on NBC Information or MSNBC till one of many community’s hosts apologizes for what she has already conceded to be an “imprecise” assertion on the Republican hardliner’s views about how Black historical past ought to be taught.
DeSantis has already sparked criticism for the way his administration rejected an Superior Placement (AP) course on Black historical past that's being provided to excessive faculties nationwide, prompting accusations that the governor was attempting to whitewash historical past — particularly along side his so-called “Cease WOKE Act.” Handed final yr, the act is broadly seen as a device to assist forestall the instructing of systemic inequality.
Throughout an interview with Vice President Kamala Harris that aired final week, Andrea Mitchell, chief Washington correspondent for NBC Information, mentioned that DeSantis didn't need “slavery and the aftermath of slavery” to be taught in Florida faculties.
The assertion was inaccurate, however Mitchell didn't instantly appropriate herself, and neither did Harris.
On Wednesday, Mitchell added a postscript to the interview:
“In my interview final Friday with Vice President Harris, I used to be imprecise in summarizing Governor DeSantis’s place about instructing slavery in faculties. Governor DeSantis shouldn't be against instructing the very fact of slavery in faculties, however he has opposed the instructing of an African-American research curriculum, in addition to the usage of some authors and supply supplies that historians and academics say makes all of it however inconceivable for college students to know the broader historic and political context behind slavery and its aftermath within the years since.”
DeSantis’ press secretary, Bryan Griffin, demanded a full apology from Mitchell for her preliminary overstatement.
“I feel we have to take a step again. There will likely be no consideration of something associated to NBC Common or its associates till and no less than Andrea Mitchell corrects the blatant lie she made concerning the governor ... and NBC and its associates show a constant monitor document of truthful reporting,” Griffin mentioned in an announcement posted to his Twitter web page.
The Florida Division of Schooling claimed that the AP course “considerably lacks academic worth” and stood “inexplicably opposite to Florida regulation.”
When the School Board, which organizes AP programs, subsequently launched the course’s official curriculum, it was accused of eradicating references to Black feminism and homosexual Black tradition to appease conservatives. The School Board rejected the claims, saying it had not been cowed.
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