In celebration of Black History Month, we have opened a new on-line “Legalize Black History™” store–with more products than the previous one–and are offering a 20% discount on all appeal and school supplies for a limited time! The new store features t-shirts and merch, some with the classic design, some messages specifically for Florida educators, and others for educators all over the country.
Our demand to legalize Black history is particularly urgent since Florida banned the new AP African American Studies course and has passed a law stipulating that teachers caught with banned books—related to Black history or the queer experience—face “up to five years in prison and a $5,000 fine…a third-degree felony.”
In addition, the movement to legalize Black history grows out of the struggles against the bills in 42 states that have introduced legislation or enacted policies that require teachers to deceive students about race, gender, and sexuality— with statutes that prohibit teaching that the “United States is fundamentally racist or sexist” or ban any teaching that could make students “feel discomfort” when discussing racism or sexism.
The proceeds from the store will go to supporting the youth winners of the Black Education Matters Student Activist Award, as well as supporting the writing of a forthcoming book about the movement to stop the banning of Black history.
Here are some important articles to read to better understand the current attack on Black history:
Ron DeSantis’s Attack on Black Studies Is Textbook Proto-Fascism
GOP Lawmakers Are Trying to Prevent Students From Learning About Reconstruction
The Meaning of African American Studies
#TeachTruth: Don’t censor honest accounts of history
Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor, Khalil Gibran Muhammad & E. Patrick Johnson on the Fight over Black History
Florida Teachers Hide Their Books to Avoid Felonies
Why the Nation Needs the #TeachTruth Movement
Why the Narrative That Critical Race Theory ‘Makes White Kids Feel Guilty’ Is a Lie
I AM AN EDUCATOR 