Florida school district pulls children's book on Roberto Clemente

[bnew]

Florida school district pulls book on Roberto Clemente over passage that he faced racism

The pulling of "Roberto Clemente: The Pride of the Pittsburgh Pirates" is part of a larger purge of books happening nationally.

www.axios.com

Feb 10, 2023 - Politics & Policy

Russell Contreras

Roberto Clemente of the Pittsburgh Pirates before the opening game of the National League playoffs, October 1971. Photo: Bettmann Archives/Getty Images


A school district in Florida has removed a children's book on Latino baseball Hall of Famer Roberto Clemente to see if it complies with a new state law limiting discussions about race, Axios has confirmed.

Why it matters: The pulling of "Roberto Clemente: The Pride of the Pittsburgh Pirates" is part of a larger purge of books happening nationally amid laws forcing schools and libraries to remove literature about people of color or with LGBTQ themes.

Details: Duval County Public Schools, which includes Jacksonville, Florida, announced late last month that it was "taking further steps to comply with Florida laws on library books."

• Those steps include a "formal review of classroom libraries," the district said. The 2005 illustrated children's book on Clemente is one of those under review.
• The district said state officials trained district staff on how to use a "certified media specialist" to approve books.

Catch up fast: Florida is one of 19 states that have passed laws or used executive orders to limit the teaching of what it calls "divisive concepts" or critical race theory since 2021, according to data from the National Conference of State Legislatures, the American Instructional Resources Survey and an Axios analysis of recent stories.

• The restrictions have forced schools to remove conventional books on civil rights, even if they have nothing to do with graduate-level critical race theory conceptions.
• Following criticism from Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) and other conservative politicians, the College Board recently changed the curriculum for its new Advanced Placement African American Studies course, excluding concepts such as Black Lives Matter and reparations.

Reality check: Critical race theory — which holds that racism is baked into the formation of the nation and ingrained in our legal, financial and education systems — was developed in law schools in the 1970s and 1980s and isn't really taught in grade school.

State of play: PEN America said the Clemente book is one of 176 pulled by Duval County Public Schools since last year.

• Others include "Barbed Wire Baseball: How One Man Brought Hope to the Japanese Internment Camps of WWII," by Marissa Moss and Yuko Shimizu.
• "Henry Aaron's Dream," by Matt Tavares, and "My Two Dads and Me," by Michael Joosten and Izak Zenou, were also pulled from Duval County Public Schools.

The intrigue: The Clemente book references the racism the Black Puerto Rican player faced in the U.S. — something well documented in his interviews and biographies.

• Duval County Public Schools told WTAE-TV the book is not permanently banned, but it is under review with many others.

What they're saying: The removal of the Clemente book "is the latest attempt from Florida's education administrators to score cheap political points at the expense of the education and well-being of Florida's children," Lourdes M. Rosado, president and general counsel of LatinoJustice PRLDEF, said in a statement.

• "Learning about Clemente's achievements, his pride in his Afro-Boricua identity and his struggles with racism and discrimination would provide needed insight on historical conditions in the U.S."
• Rosado said the book is an inspiration for the majority Black and Latino student population in Duval County schools and should be placed back on the shelves.

Don't forget: Last year's World Series had no non-Hispanic Black American players for the first time in 72 years, yet games featured Black Latino stars like Clemente.

• Afro Latinos are redefining America's pastime even as the nation can't define them.

What's next: The National Council for Black Studies, an organization dedicated to advancing Black Studies, will be holding its annual conference March 22-25 at the University of Florida.

• Scholars in Black Studies will be coming to Florida in solidarity with other scholars in the state facing pressure to limit classroom materials on race.

 

[morris]

was this the reason?
Reality check: Critical race theory — which holds that racism is baked into the formation of the nation and ingrained in our legal, financial and education systems — was developed in law schools in the 1970s and 1980s and isn't really taught in grade school.

The US Souf+confederate history=shythole

 

[the elastic]

Florida just needs to secede at this point

 

[General Mills]

 

[invincible1914]

I’ve read articles from back in the day on Clemente where the journalists where the journalists quoted hI’m making him sound like Cheech & Chong.

I wish I can find them online.

 

[DrexlersFade]

Who are the other 19 states so I can never spend a dime in them period. Only way to combat this is to stop spending money in Florida but we know that ain't happening.

 

[invincible1914]

I’ve read articles from back in the day on Clemente where the journalists where the journalists quoted hI’m making him sound like Cheech & Chong.

I wish I can find them online.

I couldn’t find the actual articles, but this is what I’m talking about…

Roberto Clemente: Remembering the Pirates Hall of Famer 50 years after his death

Roberto Clemente died in a plane crash while helping to send supplies to earthquake-ravaged Nicaragua.

www.kiro7.com

Clemente did not like the Americanization of his name, believing it disrespected his Puerto Rican and Latino roots. He would correct sportswriters during interviews.

Writers reluctant to use Clemente’s given name nevertheless quoted him and other Latino players phonetically. “This” was written as “deez,” or “give” was “geev.”

“They laugh at me, but I heet the ball,” New York Daily News columnist dikk Young quoted Clemente as saying during the 1971 World Series.

Clemente believed that by highlighting his accent, writers were attempting to make him – and other Latino players – look foolish.

“It makes him sound like he’s dumb,” former Pirates pitcher-turned-broadcaster Nellie King once said. “And you know, he was a very intelligent man.

“I don’t know why the media did that. It sure made him seem less than intelligent. I mean, how would you like to go to Puerto Rico (speak Spanish), and have guys quote you the way you sound?”

 

[ORDER_66]

cacs gon cac...

 

[bnew]

Ron DeSantis Finally Admits War on Books Has Been a Total Disaster

The Florida governor is suddenly backtracking after all those ridiculous book bans in schools.

newrepublic.com

Paige Oamek/

February 15, 2024/4:58 p.m. ET

Ron DeSantis Finally Admits War on Books Has Been a Total Disaster​

The Florida governor is suddenly backtracking after all those ridiculous book bans in schools.​

JOE RAEDLE/GETTY IMAGES

Governor Ron DeSantis on Thursday came out in support of a proposal to limit book bans in schools—the direct result of his own stupid policies.

In a press conference, DeSantis tried to claim that accusations that he has enabled book bans in the state of Florida are “a fraud” and “a big hoax.”

He blamed “activists” on both the left and right for “hijacking” the process of banning books, accusing them of submitting book challenges solely to create a media narrative.

And finally, he directed the Department of Education “to take appropriate action to deal with some of the bad actors who are intentionally depriving students of rightful education by politicizing this process.”

Even as DeSantis basically admitted he made a huge mistake, he used a press release to link to a strange video he posted on Rumble, with the warning “***EXPLICIT CONTENT NOT SUITABLE FOR CHILDREN***.” The video showcases so-called “non-age-appropriate books” that have “rightly” been banned by libraries, while defending “classic” books like The Diary of Anne Frank. (At least one Florida school has removed an Anne Frank novel, thanks to DeSantis.)

It’s clear that DeSantis is trying to walk back these sweeping book bans—and creating a distinction between justified and unjustified bans.

Essentially, DeSantis is now trying to point fingers at anyone besides himself and his allies, calling the book bans “theater” and “performative.”

In reality, these ridiculous book bans are a direct cause of DeSantis signing House Bill 1069 into law in May 2023. Other legislation in Florida, including the Parental Rights in Education Bill and the Stop WOKE Act, have led to further restrictions.

Under DeSantis, Florida allowed anyone to challenge books in school libraries that they deem to be inappropriate, often books that feature characters or topics on race, sex, and gender. Sometimes books have been banned thanks to a single challenge.

DeSantis has been celebrated by Moms for Liberty, the “parental rights” group inciting many of these blanket bans. The group has thanked the governor for “blazing a trail” on school book bans. He even appointed a co-founder of Moms for Liberty to the Florida Commission on Ethics.

And now, he seems to be backtracking. “If you’re somebody who doesn’t have a kid in school and you’re going to object to 100 books, no I don’t think that’s appropriate,” said DeSantis at the press conference.

He also floated the idea of having the legislature limit the number of challenges and making future challenges contingent on whether you actually have kids in school, a move that could impact Moms for Liberty’s activism. “We’re not trying to incentivize frivolous objections.”

The Florida House is looking to pass a bill (H.B. 7025) which would impose a $100 fine for unsuccessful book objections, which the Florida governor says he would support.

It’s possible that DeSantis is covering his tracks after a lawsuit from PEN America last month was affirmed in federal court. U.S. District Judge Kent Wetherell issued a ruling against Escambia County School Board, which has banned above 1,500 books, including the dictionary, under H.B. 1069. The judge ruled that book removals violated the First Amendment and rejected the state’s argument. (DeSantis is not named in the lawsuit.)

DeSantis also on Thursday claimed that “no district in Florida has

 

[3rdWorld]

Ron DeSantis Finally Admits War on Books Has Been a Total Disaster

The Florida governor is suddenly backtracking after all those ridiculous book bans in schools.

newrepublic.com

Paige Oamek/

February 15, 2024/4:58 p.m. ET

Ron DeSantis Finally Admits War on Books Has Been a Total Disaster​

The Florida governor is suddenly backtracking after all those ridiculous book bans in schools.​

JOE RAEDLE/GETTY IMAGES

Governor Ron DeSantis on Thursday came out in support of a proposal to limit book bans in schools—the direct result of his own stupid policies.

In a press conference, DeSantis tried to claim that accusations that he has enabled book bans in the state of Florida are “a fraud” and “a big hoax.”

He blamed “activists” on both the left and right for “hijacking” the process of banning books, accusing them of submitting book challenges solely to create a media narrative.

And finally, he directed the Department of Education “to take appropriate action to deal with some of the bad actors who are intentionally depriving students of rightful education by politicizing this process.”

Even as DeSantis basically admitted he made a huge mistake, he used a press release to link to a strange video he posted on Rumble, with the warning “***EXPLICIT CONTENT NOT SUITABLE FOR CHILDREN***.” The video showcases so-called “non-age-appropriate books” that have “rightly” been banned by libraries, while defending “classic” books like The Diary of Anne Frank. (At least one Florida school has removed an Anne Frank novel, thanks to DeSantis.)

It’s clear that DeSantis is trying to walk back these sweeping book bans—and creating a distinction between justified and unjustified bans.

Essentially, DeSantis is now trying to point fingers at anyone besides himself and his allies, calling the book bans “theater” and “performative.”

In reality, these ridiculous book bans are a direct cause of DeSantis signing House Bill 1069 into law in May 2023. Other legislation in Florida, including the Parental Rights in Education Bill and the Stop WOKE Act, have led to further restrictions.

Under DeSantis, Florida allowed anyone to challenge books in school libraries that they deem to be inappropriate, often books that feature characters or topics on race, sex, and gender. Sometimes books have been banned thanks to a single challenge.

DeSantis has been celebrated by Moms for Liberty, the “parental rights” group inciting many of these blanket bans. The group has thanked the governor for “blazing a trail” on school book bans. He even appointed a co-founder of Moms for Liberty to the Florida Commission on Ethics.

And now, he seems to be backtracking. “If you’re somebody who doesn’t have a kid in school and you’re going to object to 100 books, no I don’t think that’s appropriate,” said DeSantis at the press conference.

He also floated the idea of having the legislature limit the number of challenges and making future challenges contingent on whether you actually have kids in school, a move that could impact Moms for Liberty’s activism. “We’re not trying to incentivize frivolous objections.”

The Florida House is looking to pass a bill (H.B. 7025) which would impose a $100 fine for unsuccessful book objections, which the Florida governor says he would support.

It’s possible that DeSantis is covering his tracks after a lawsuit from PEN America last month was affirmed in federal court. U.S. District Judge Kent Wetherell issued a ruling against Escambia County School Board, which has banned above 1,500 books, including the dictionary, under H.B. 1069. The judge ruled that book removals violated the First Amendment and rejected the state’s argument. (DeSantis is not named in the lawsuit.)

DeSantis also on Thursday claimed that “no district in Florida has

fukk this piece of shyt fascist.

 

[feelosofer]

White people suck

 

[3rdWorld]

fukk this piece of shyt fascist.

He literally fukked with every sector of Floria society to appease maga fascists..and they still rejected his high heeled ass.

 

[CopiousX]

Florida just needs to secede at this point

Catch up fast: Florida is one of 19 states that have passed laws or used executive orders to limit the teaching of what it calls "divisive concepts" or critical race theory since 2021, according to data from the National Conference of State Legislatures, the American Instructional Resources Survey and an Axios analysis of recent stories.

@the elastic , ideally all 19 of these states would go with them. Such backwards places.


And im curious if books on Ann Frank are being removed also

 

[broller]

Disturbing but not shocking

 

[Amerikan Melanin]

CACs can’t face their own history. Terrible people.