Florida education commissioner pulls out of Miami Gardens town hall on Black History in education

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. – Florida’s education commissioner dropped out of a town hall meeting that is aimed at addressing the state’s new standards for teaching Black History.

Hundreds of people have reportedly RSVP’d to attend the event.

A meeting of collective minds is the idea behind the education town hall on African American History standards.

The backdrop for the gathering is Miami gardens, home to a majority of Black residents.

The state’s education commissioner Manny Diaz had agreed to show up despite recent backlash over new curriculum guidelines over how slavery is taught in classrooms.

Specifically, a lesson dealing with the kinds of labor enslaved people were forced into, a benchmark that says “slaves developed skills from which they could personally benefit.”

The outcry made national headlines over fears American Black History was being watered down in Florida.

But Wednesday, Diaz, who was handpicked by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis for the job last year, pulled out of the town hall.

In a statement, State Sen. Shevrin Jones, who is hosting the event, said:

“After personally confirming his attendance, it is deeply disappointing that Commissioner Diaz now lacks the will and courage to defend his Department’s misguided curriculum changes. Instead, the Commissioner and DeSantis’ administration have once again turned their back on the largest Black city in the state…”

From controversial book bans to the elimination of AP Psychology courses in Florida schools, Diaz and the governor have been fielding a number complaints from opponents and praises from supporters.

In a tweet late Wednesday, Diaz said:

“There was nothing sudden about my inability to attend Senator Jones’s town hall. As I told the senator last week, I will be visiting schools throughout the state to welcome back students, parents and teachers for the first day of school.”