For Immediate Release: August 4, 2023

Contact: media@colorofchange.org 

 

Statement from Rashad Robinson, President of Color Of Change, on FL Department of Education’s Ongoing Efforts to Erase Diverse Experiences and Stories

Following Florida’s Department of Education banning AP Psychology curriculum that teaches foundational content on sexual orientation and gender identity, Color Of Change released the following statement from Color Of Change President, Rashad Robinson: 

“In yet another politically motivated move aimed at targeting students and communities already under attack, Governor DeSantis’ Department of Education will erode curriculum and teaching standards once again. It is no coincidence that DeSantis and his appointees have targeted LGBTQ content and Black history simultaneously, in their larger pursuit of systems that are designed to erase diverse experiences and stories. This attack on LGBTQ educational standards coming out of Florida can not be separated from the attacks on teaching Black history, both because of the intersections between these topics and because if DeSantis and his appointees win, we know they won’t stop here and will continue to move this shameful and dangerous agenda forward — eliminating more content about race, gender and sexual orientation”

“Florida’s Department of Education can not do their work alone and they have found allies in education companies including International Baccalaureate (IB) and Cambridge Assessment. These organizations have caved into a politically motivated agenda at the expense of Florida’s students and their own purported values. When corporations, like IB and Cambridge Assessment, choose to enable DeSantis’ extremism while ignoring groups like the American Psychological Association, it is important that those in power and with platforms aren’t silent; we need more leaders across industry to speak up and push back. Businesses, colleges and universities, and every other facet of society suffers when we fail to properly educate and prepare our young people for the future. Color Of Change will continue to shine a light on this issue and hold businesses, corporations, and those with government power, like Florida’s Department of Education, accountable.”