Florida textbook publisher Studies Weekly removed mention that Rosa Parks was Black from the lesson about the woman who helped ignite the Civil Rights Movement in the US by refusing to give up her seat to a white man. The company is attempting to get their materials approved by the Department of Education in a state where the governor, Ron Desantis, "signed legislation last year that prohibits instruction that could make students feel responsibility, guilt or anguish for what other members of their race did in the past," according to The Hill. The original version of the elementary school lesson stated: "The law said African Americans had to give up their seats on the bus if a white person wanted to sit down."
Then it was changed to "She was told to move to a different seat because of the color of her skin." And most recently: "She was told to move to a different seat."
Studies Weekly also edited a lesson on segregation laws. From The Hill:
In the initial version, the text explained how Black Americans were affected by Jim Crow laws that arose after the Civil War, but like its updates to the Parks lesson, the second version eliminated almost every direct mention of race. Instead, the lessons were changed to say it was illegal for "men of certain groups" to be unemployed and that "certain groups of people" were not allowed to serve on a jury.
Studies Weekly has removed its second version of the curriculum from its website and withdrawn its lessons from the state's review following questions from New York Times. Florida is expected to announce its textbook decisions in the coming weeks.
