While some politicians have tried to limit what students can learn when it comes to America’s history, Rep. Geraldine Thompson (D-Orlando) has been advocating for a fuller teaching of Black history in Florida’s schools for years. We sat down with her recently to discuss why this issue is so important to her and why students need to be taught Black history year-round, not just on special occasions like Dr. King’s birthday or Black History Month.

Episode 14 Show Notes:

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GuestRep. Geraldine Thompson (D-Orlando) 

Resources HB 51 Required Instruction in the History of the Holocaust and the History of African AmericansSome schools may not be teaching African American history or other courses required by law but there’s no consequences (Florida Phoenix) Florida School District Curriculum Reports Show Gaps In Black History Education (2020) (WUFT) HB 233 Academic Freedom Survey 

Transcript[00:00:00]Andrew Spar, FEA President: Hi, this is FEA President Andrew Spar. To stay on top of all the latest news and issues impacting our public schools. Be sure to follow FEA on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. For more information on this podcast, visit feaweb.org/podcast.[00:00:17]Sharon Nesvig, announcer: You're listening to Educating from the Heart. Thank you for joining our lively conversations with teachers, support professionals, parents and students, as they share issues that matter most in our public schools. Here are your hosts, Tina Dunbar and Luke Flynt.[00:00:43] Sen. James Hargett: One of the greatest privileges I've had as a state Senator in the state of Florida is to have a participated along with Representative Bradley in sponsoring the legislation to require the teaching of African-American history in the schools of Florida. I believe that it will help our young people in the state know their history. As I stated on the floor in the Senate, you can't know where you're going, unless you know where you're coming from. I also believe that you can't teach the history of America truly without teaching the history of African-Americans as a central part of it. And for that reason, I'm very proud to participate.[00:01:28] Tina Dunbar, Host: Those are the words of former state Senator James Hargett who sponsored the 1994 legislation requiring Florida schools to add African-American history to the curriculum. Welcome to Educating from the Heart I'm Tina Dunbar with my cohost Luke Flynt.So, Luke, we began the last episode with a history lesson. So let's start this one with a quick quiz. What do you think about that? Well, you know, you can't work in education without a few assessments here and there. What do you remember learning about African-American history in school? I grew up in another state. And when I think about it, most of my learning came from my family and from within my community. I don't remember learning a lot about African-American contributions to American history in school.I do remember learning a few names and a focus on Egypt and the pyramids. But there was no reference to the significance of Egypt being in the continent of Africa, which I see as a total disconnect because African-Americans have a significant past, and we continue to play an important role in shaping American history today. Wouldn’t you agree?[00:02:48] Luke Flynt, Host: You know, Tina, there is so much that I appreciate about the great public education I received in Indian River County. And I am proud to be a member of the Vero Beach High School Class of 1998. When I look back at my schooling, there is no doubt that I received a sanitized, you know, maybe even a whitewashed version of history.You know, I was taught for instance, the myth that Rosa Parks was just a lone actor who one day got tired and didn’t give up a seat on the bus. Not the reality that she was part of a larger anti segregation movement. And in fact, she was on the council of her local NAACP. That part of the history often gets left out for school children. And not just when I was a child, but that's still happening today.It doesn't have to be that way though. For several years now, Representative Geraldine Thompson has been trying to ensure that no longer will entire generations of Florida school children be able to graduate with only getting a little bit of African-American history. She wants to ensure they get the full story.[00:03:58] Tina: And you're correct. It's partly due to Representative Thompson that districts are now required to submit an annual required instruction report to the DOE. It details the courses being taught, who's teaching them and how the courses are being taught.According to the last report found on the DOE website during the 2019-2020 school year out of 73 school districts, there were only four districts that exceeded the basic rule requirements. 59 satisfied the reporting rule, and five districts provided incomplete information. Now that doesn't really provide a clear picture of what's going on here. But what we do know is depending upon the school district, students might get a thorough exposure to African-American history, or they might not.Some district offers standalone classes. Others offer the course as an elective, which means students are not required to take it. So, to ensure all students receive the quality education they deserve, Rep. Thompson tells us her bill would put teeth into the current law to make sure African-American history is taught with fidelity to all students across the state.You have been trying to promote African-American history studies through a number of attempts in terms of legislation, you and other legislators. Senator Bracy, who we also asked to join us today, and something came up at the last minute, he wasn't able to join us. He has a bill on the Ocoee Massacre, which actually passed.With the governor's point of view and the ruling in terms of how teachers, educators should talk about these culturally divisive issues, what does that mean for our teachers discussing African-American history and some of these really important issues connected to what we see going on politically right now?[00:06:01] Rep. Geraldine Thompson: Well, I think one of the things that members of the legislature have to be reminded of is that we have had in Florida law, Florida statute 1003 since 1994, over 27 years, that requires instruction on African-American history, starting with the culture of Africa, before slavery going through slavery, the civil rights movement, all of it.And it has not been uniformly enforced. And so, if you say that you have to follow the law regarding to the parents' bill of rights, why aren't we following this law that's been on the books for 27 years. And so that's what I have been advocating. And when I filed the legislation in 2019, it was to put some teeth in the law to say that there's some sanctions if this instruction is not being delivered. Well, the bill has yet to get a hearing. I have refiled it again this year, because I think you can't pick and choose which laws you're going to follow. And yes, we are in a climate and in an environment where the Department of Education, the board of education is prohibiting the discussion of race and racism in our classrooms, and that shortchanges students. That's the bottom line.I talked to a group of students a month, a couple months ago. And I asked them to name ten individuals who were important and significant during the Civil Rights Movement. And so, they named some people at the national level, Dr. King, Rosa Parks, Jesse Jackson, et cetera, the names that come to mind. Then I asked them to name ten who were from Florida or who worked in Florida; I got no response. And the reason that they did not respond is because they're not getting the instruction. It's not being taught in the classrooms. And so that's what we have to keep working toward and promoting. And that's why I'm saying. It's the students who are being short changed.[00:08:26] Tina: You will hear people from the DOE, the commissioner, and some folks will say, “well, we do teach this it's mentioned.” But isn't that the problem it's merely mentioned, they don't take the time to really dive in and understand the actions.[00:08:46] Rep. Thompson: That's exactly the problem because we're not talking about celebrating Dr. King's birthday. Some teachers have said to me, “well, we celebrate Dr. King's birthday,” and they believed that that fulfills the requirement to teach African-American history. A celebration is not instruction. And we are not looking for something that you set aside just for February. We're looking for something that's infused throughout the curriculum for 180 days, which is the length of the academic school year for schools here in Florida.[00:09:24] Tina: So, what’s the barrier? It’s in the law.[00:09:28] Rep. Thompson: Well, some of the teachers have said to me they don't have the content. And so I have been working with the African-American History Task Force that works directly with the Commissioner of Education to say, we need to make sure that all 67 counties have the content, not only African American history on a national level but Florida history in particular. And so, I think to answer your question, it is not being taught because people don't have the content. They have not been motivated to do the research themselves, and so here we are looking to engage the task force to make sure that they have the history.And then the second thing is that you need an advocate, and we've not had the advocate. And so when I came, returned to the legislature in 2018,