An African American history teacher training event has been postponed in the state of Florida causing dissension among veteran members of the state’s African American history task force who believe it will create more anxiety about teaching the subject,” the Orlando Sentinel reports.

The decision to postpone the annual summer institute, which is attended by more than 300 teachers virtually, happened at a task force meeting on Wednesday (June 7).

According to the report, six new task force members voted to cancel the event and reschedule it for later in the summer in the first meeting they attended citing that HB 551, a new law that passed this spring now requires school districts to document their instruction plans to ensure that the appropriate lessons are being taught. The four long-standing members voted to go forth with the session on the set dates of June 14-15 but were outnumbered.

Appointed by Education Commissioner Manny Diaz in May, the new members said that “they wanted the institute delayed until after the State Board of Education’s planned vote in July on new African American history standards.”

The other members said that the department could provide information about the new standards at a later date and canceling the session was unnecessary.

Also, they questioned how the six new members could have the same idea that the 2023 summer institute should be postponed which would violate a provision of the state’s Sunshine Law. The provision forbids members from talking about that state’s issues among themselves.

Brenda Walker, an education professor at the University of South Florida and one of the board's long-standing members, “angst about teaching African and African American history,” because of laws that have been enacted in the state.

“They’re talking about what’s happening in our state,” Walker said.

She went on to say that the virtual training has tremendous content that will be beneficial to the teachers. Topics such as “best practices” for teaching African American history, Black inventors, “The Journey to Juneteenth: Contextualizing Emancipation for Students,” Black History Sites in Florida, and “What’s Right? What’s Wrong? What Can We Do? Voices from the Classroom,” were set to be covered during the session.

“Canceling at this late date, I think would be detrimental,” she added.

During the meeting, Samuel Wright, a retired USF administrator said, “I think this has been one of the most asinine discussions I’ve had in a long time as a professional.”

Wright also explained that the guest speakers that were confirmed would not be available to participate in the sessions later in the summer and that it would be unprofessional to cancel a week before the event.

“We’re going to have to have some tough conversations and what’s going on and how it has chilled the teaching of African American and African history, and I’m really looking forward to those conversations and the institute,” Walker said.

The first member who pushed for the event to be rescheduled is Glen Gilzean, a former president of the Central Florida Urban League. In February, Glizean wrote an op-ed in defense of Gov. Ron DeSantis’ rejection of the AP course and lauded the governor’s treatment of Black residents of Florida.

In May, Gilzean was named administrator of the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District, a board appointed by DeSantis to replace Disney World’s Reedy Creek Improvement District as the governor continues to battle the Disney corporation.

The subject of African American history in Florida public schools continues to be a controversial topic. In January, DeSantis rejected the College Board’s Advanced Placement African American Studies course. In 2022, he signed a law that banned critical race theory and placed limits on how race is discussed in classrooms. The legislation garnered harsh criticism as an attempt to whitewash America’s racist history.

In May, the NAACP released a travel advisory for Florida, criticizing the governor’s “aggressive attempts to erase Black history.”

“Florida is openly hostile toward African Americans, people of color, and LGBTQ+ individuals,” The travel notice states. "Before traveling to Florida, please understand that the state of Florida devalues and marginalizes the contributions of and the challenges faced by African Americans and other communities of color."