Proctor calls for enforcement of black history law

Sixteen years ago, the Florida Legislature passed a bill that was signed by then Gov. Lawton Chiles mandating that teach African American history be taught throughout the 67 counties and school districts in the state. According to Leon County Commissioner William C. “Bill” Proctor, Chiles’ former special assistant, this law has not been fully enforced.

On Thursday, during the 147th anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation, Proctor and a group of civil leaders released letters sent to the governor, attorney general, cabinet, and the executive director of the Florida Association of Superintendents asking them to address this issue.

“The State of Florida is in contempt of its own laws,” Proctor said in a news release. “The freedom of African American history must flow until justice rolls down like water and righteousness like a mighty stream.”

Proctor’s initiative comes in the wake of a National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) campaign to challenge controversial changes to Texas’ K-12 education curriculum. The Texas State Board of Education has approved modifications that critics believe are rightwing revisionist reinterpretations of American history. The board is accused of rewriting the curriculum to praise McCartyism, attack the Civil Rights Movement, and give racial minorities a lower profile.

Rod Paige, who served as U.S. Secretary of Education under former President George W. Bush, joined NAACP President Benjamin Jealous in denouncing the Texas changes.

"We have allowed ideology to drive and define the standards of our Texas curriculum and it has swung from liberal to conservative depending on the members of state board," Paige said. "What students are taught should not be the handmaiden of political ideology."

Proctor wants Florida to properly recognize the contributions African Americans have made to the state and nation.

“The history of African Americans has not been emancipated and though physically liberated from slavery the stories, contributions, and life struggles of African Americans are still in bondage,” Proctor said.