To DeSantis, Florida is ‘where woke goes to die.’ Some South Florida leaders disagree
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Joyce Price remembers a different Miami, one where the only downtown bathroom she and other people of color could use was in the basement of the courthouse, and most stores wouldn’t allow people of color to try on shoes or clothes without covering their skin with bags.
Affectionately known to South Miami residents as an “icon” and “mother” of the community, Price even had to leave Florida in the 1950s to attend nursing school because many schools wouldn’t accept Black students — and those that did were phasing out.
Price was one of dozens who on Thursday attended a stop of the Stay Woke Florida Rolling Protest, organized by the Transformative Justice Coalition, at the Mount Olive Baptist Church in South Miami. The group has been traveling all over Florida through June in the hopes of mobilizing voters amid Gov. Ron DeSantis’ attacks on Black history and “wokeness.”
“Our governor who’s running for president needs to take a look in the mirror,” Price said. “We have we have been in the structure, in the system, since the conception of the United States. And you’re gonna take out Black studies in schools?”
DeSantis has been criticized for banning critical race theory; diversity, equity and inclusion in colleges and universities; and discussions on race in classrooms. In January, the governor rejected a new Advanced Placement course on African American studies, claiming it violated state law and lacked educational value.
As the crowd settled in the church’s pews, a reverend said a prayer before a rendition of “Lift Every Voice and Sing.” On the stage sat several speakers, including Daniella Pierre, president of the Miami-Dade branch of the NAACP.
“Freedom fighters, freedom riders, we must stay woke,” Pierre said. “We must know our rights, know our history [in] this country and demand that it be taught accurately. We resist and reject any and all attempts... to deny and destroy and diminish who we are.”
What’s going on in Florida — and across the U.S. — is a test of how history is going to look in the future, said state Sen. Shevrin Jones, a Democrat.
“160 years ago, Black men like me... weren’t allowed to vote, weren’t allowed to sit at the table to dine, but look at us now,” Jones said. “Over 160 years ago, women weren’t allowed to vote. They weren’t able to make decisions for themselves, but look at them now.”
For Jones, it’s time for the community to fight for their future — and for women, immigrants and LGBTQ people.
“We’ve been here before,” Jones said. “Because you are standing where you are now, that lets me know that we can get out of this mess one way or another.”
Teachers and students are on the front lines of DeSantis’ battles due to book bans, anti-union laws aimed at teachers and the barring of discussions related to racism, said Karla Hernandez Mats, president of the United Teachers of Dade and running mate of DeSantis’ 2022 Democratic challenger, Charlie Crist.
Education, she said, should be free from any political agenda or fascist ideology. Book bans are not only anti-education and anti-freedom, but they hamper children’s development of empathy and critical thinking skills.
“While parents have the right to make choices for their own children, it is equally important for them not to impose their choices on other people’s children.”
As Marvin Dunn approached the lectern, he began telling a story from when he was in second grade. It was 1947 when he was in the post office with his mother and noticed white people were skipping them in line. He asked her why — and his mother said it was because they were Black.
“I’ve lived long enough to have had to go through the back door of white people’s homes,” Dunn said. “I’ve lived long enough to have to sit in the back of the bus.. I’ve lived long enough to have been the Black student getting sent to a white school and get the white kids’ textbooks because they were getting new ones.”
Dunn pointed to how he can’t tell these types of stories in Florida classrooms because it could make a student uncomfortable and their parents could complain to the state. But history, he said, is supposed to be uncomfortable.
“It’s not about the book ban alone,” Dunn said. “It’s about the banning of ideas. You can’t discuss racism. You can’t discuss discrimination. They have banned ideas, and that’s the first sign of decline in society.”
Outraged over the governor’s actions, Price, the chairperson of the Miami-Dade Community Action Agency Board, penned a letter to the governor on May 31. She said she’s frustrated over the erasure of Black history as the community was behind making things like light bulbs, washing machines, trains and space travel possible.
“This is America,” Price said. “I have loved ones who fought and died for this country. I have loved ones who were slaves in this country, who built it, who made history with certain things that they’ve done, including myself. How dare you?”
