Political experts react to Gov. Ron DeSantis' view on diversity and inclusion
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is scheduled to speak at the Alabama Republican Party's winter dinner in Birmingham in March. DeSantis recently made headlines after blocking funds for diversity, equity, and inclusion programs in his state.
DeSantis calls diversity and inclusion programs “discriminatory" and believes they’re part of “a political agenda,” but not everyone agrees with his opinion.
Paul Demarco, the chairman of the Jefferson County Republican Party, talked about DeSantis' views and his upcoming visit to Birmingham. He believes the Florida governor always represents the views of his state and he’s not afraid to take on a challenge.
“I think what he's saying is he wants to teach all history,” Demarco said, “but he wants to make sure there's not issues that are a political agenda. He wants to make sure everything is taught fairly to everyone. He thinks that's not appropriate when teaching our students and our kids. He wants them to see the full picture.”
Meanwhile, others disagree and said blocking the curriculum is a way of trying to erase history. Political expert John Saxton calls this a racist attack.
“Slavery happened. Police dogs and fire hoses happened just a few blocks from here. If we're not teaching people that, then we're going to repeat those mistakes. We can’t cover up the past," Saxton said.
Because of DeSantis' criticism, the college board that oversees the AP program revised its official coursework. DeSantis will be in Birmingham on March 9.