western civilizations has no inherent value whatsoever? we have teachers who are not able to teach the curriculum that they want because they disagree with ron desantis and his view of the world. that is limiting free speech. they are trying to shield students from the truth about history. we are nothing without our history. which is exactly why conservatives are going after public education in america. to erase, dismantle and rewrite the true account of our past. what happened on this soil, the oppression that was fought and overcome. and what shaped who we are and the very moment we are in. history is vital, as is knowledge. it s why education is so often ground zero in the u.s. culture wars. and why florida governor ron desantis apparent white house ambition strikes at the heart of the american classroom. desantis has staked his political future on a bid to block an advanced placement course in african-american studies, saying it lacks educational value. it s that f
how do you feel about that? does it make you uncomfortable to learn the sort of difficult parts of american history? no. it s just part of history. and i think it s just upsetting that he can dictate what thousands of students are going to learn. we re the generation that is working to uproot all these systemic issues within our society. and you know, they re uncomfortable topics. no one likes talking about those things. they re necessary to understand how we are today and why things have led to where we are. you both are juniors. elijah, you re in tenth grade. you re not yet in the 11th grade realm where you would be taking these classes. you re all honors students, you re all high-achieving students. what do you make of the fact that desantis is now even threatening to get rid of all a.p. classes? that would expensive to go to college, it reduces the cost. it helps students like you all be attractive to colleges around the country. what would it mean to you if there were no a.p.