I taught for 35 years in the Department of Psychology at Florida International University, with a focus on race and ethnic relations. I plan to offer a course again, but now require some guidance from Gov. Ron DeSantis as to what I may or not may not be able to say in the classroom:
Gov. DeSantis, when I attended school in Volusia County, I was one of the students they sent to the white school to collect their used books because they were getting new ones. This was institutional racism. Am I allowed to share that with students?
Gov. DeSantis, when I was a little boy growing up in Florida I had to drink from the “colored “ fountain at the Volusia County Courthouse. The “white“ water was cool, but ours was warm. This made me feel bad. May I share this with students?
Gov. DeSantis, when I was a boy growing up in Miami, our family had to use the “colored” beach, and it made me feel bad because the “white” beach was better. This was institutional racism. May I share this with students?
Gov. DeSantis, when, in 1966, the University of Florida refused to admit me to its graduate school because of my race, I was a naval officer overseas on an aircraft carrier serving my country. I cried. Should students know how much racism can hurt?
Gov. DeSantis, in 1832, the Florida Territory enacted a law prohibiting “Negroes to congregate for any purpose except for work or attend divine worship.” Was this an example of racism in Florida law, and may I share this history with students?
Gov. DeSantis, in 1957, when I was inducted into the Navy in Jacksonville, the Navy sent white recruits to a downtown hotel, but sent me to a whorehouse across the tracks. This was institutional racism. May I share this with Florida students?
Gov. DeSantis, between 1930 and 1972, 455 people were executed in America for rape; 89% of them were Black, 97.3% of the executions took place in former Confederate states. Institutional racism, sir?
Gov. DeSantis, about 1,400 Black men from Florida fought for the Union. Some Confederate commanders ordered the execution of Black soldiers who were captured but spared white Union captives. White privilege? Should students know this?
Gov. DeSantis, Florida State University did not accept Black students until the 1960s. Was this institutional racism and white privilege in Florida? Were Blacks harmed by this racist policy?
Gov. DeSantis, between 1948 and 1956, 85 Black students were denied admission to the University of Florida. It remained all white until the 1950s. Was this white privilege? Institutional racism? May I share this with students?
Gov. DeSantis, until the 1940s, Blacks could not join the Democratic Party at a time when Democrats ruled the South. Is this an example of white privilege and institutional racism? May I share this with students?
Gov. DeSantis, our 1957 football team at segregated Euclid High in DeLand could not play white schools. Was that institutional racism or fear of an ass-whupping?
Gov. DeSantis, the University of Florida refused to admit Virgil Hawkins to its law school — because he was Black — until a federal court forced it to. Was this an example of institutional racism and white privilege? Should students know this?
Gov. DeSantis, when I was growing up in Florida, only white people could sit up front on buses. We had to sit in the back. Were the white people privileged?
Gov. DeSantis, in the 1830s, the Florida Territory passed a law that stated that a free Black who left the territory could not return and that any white person could detain any Negro, slave or free, for any reason. Racist?
Gov. DeSantis, until the 1960s, Blacks could not join unions in the building trades. Was this institutional racism and white privilege? May I share this history with students?
Gov. DeSantis, until the 1950s, only white people could serve on juries in Florida. Did that mean that the whites were privileged? May I share this history with students?
Gov. DeSantis, when Florida began funding public schools, it was for indigent white children only. Am I allowed to share this with students?
Gov. DeSantis, until stopped by federal courts, Florida paid Black teachers less than white teachers by state law. This was institutional racism. Am I allowed to share this with students?
Gov. DeSantis, my family traveled the migrant trail in the 1940s. We were not allowed to use bathrooms or sleep in motels. This was racism. Am I allowed to tell that to students in Florida or would your new University Thought Police get me?
Gov. DeSantis, Allie Neal’s dad, Claude Neal, was lynched in Marianna in 1934. Allie says that when she walks by the tree where her father’s body was hanged, she cries. Should students know how much racism can hurt?
Gov. DeSantis, I grew up in Opa-locka, where the U.S. government built homes for Black veterans only. The government built homes for white vets someplace else. This was institutional racism in federal housing. May I share this with students?
Gov. DeSantis, the U.S. 1862 Homestead Act gave acreage to white settlers out west — land that had been previously settled by Native Americans — but not to Blacks. Were the white people privileged? May I share this with students?
Gov. DeSantis, President Thomas Jefferson owned 600 enslaved people and freed only two. Is it appropriate to call him and the other 11 presidents who owned people “enslavers”? May I share with students?
Gov. DeSantis, in 1952, Judge L.E. Thomas, of Miami, became the first Black judge in the South since Reconstruction. Before him, all judges were white. Does this mean that whites were privileged in the courts? May I share this history with students?
Gov. DeSantis, when Florida became a state in 1845, free Blacks were forced to leave the state or be arrested. This was institutional racism. May I share this with students, sir?
Gov. DeSantis, my dad was in the Navy during World War II, but was only allowed to be a cook because of his race. This was institutional racism. May I share this with students in Florida?
Gov. DeSantis, rather than admit Blacks to the University of Florida Law School, the state authorized a law school at FAMU, the state’s university for Blacks. Was that institutional racism? May I share this history with students?
Gov. DeSantis, Thomas Jefferson had sex with a 14-year-old enslaved girl who belonged to him named Sally Hemings. He gave her several children, one of whom was born in the White House. Does that make this Founder an enslaver AND a pedophile?
Gov. DeSantis, when I was a little boy growing up in Volusia County, I had to sit in the back of the bus. This was institutional racism, and it made me feel real bad. May I share this with students in Florida?
Gov. DeSantis, I was born at home in Florida because, in 1940, Black women could not go to the county hospital to have babies. There were complications. I might have died. Was this a case of white privilege?
Gov. DeSantis, the first schools funded by Florida were for white children only. Black parents tried to educate their children at home. Does this mean that white children were privileged? May I share this with students?
Gov. DeSantis, I recall my mom going to the courthouse to get our food-rationing allotments during World War II. Blacks had to wait until whites were served. Was that institutional racism or white privilege? May I share with students?
Gov. DeSantis, why are you trying to make us afraid of each other, when we are all Americans and love our country?
This story was originally published April 27, 2022 5:38 PM.