Thursday’s CBS Mornings opened its “What to Watch” segment with a little over two minutes touting far-left activist and Al Sharpton-wannabe Benjamin Crump’s threat to sue Governor Ron DeSantis (R-FL) over the Florida Department of Education’s decision to reject an AP course on African-American culture and history because it was deemed “a vehicle for a political agenda” with topics such as critical race theory, intersectionality, and queer studies.
“Civil rights attorney Ben Crump is threatening to sue the state of Florida — rather, Governor Ron DeSantis. Here’s the reason: Last week, Florida’s Education Department rejected a proposed Advanced Placement high school course on African-American studies. That is a college prep class,” co-host Vladimir Duthiers began.
He added the course was rejected out of “‘concerns’ about the curriculum, including topics covering intersectionality and activism and black queer studies” and was part of “Florida’s Stop Woke law approved last year restricts how racism and other aspects of history can be taught in schools.”
Duthiers explained Crump held a press conference that “accuse[d] DeSantis of violating the federal and state constitutions.”
After a soundbite of Crump claiming DeSantis would fail in “extermininat[ing]” African-Americans, “our culture,” and “the value of our children to this world,” Duthiers emphasized that College Board, the company behind AP courses, said they would release a revised syllabus.
Co-host and Democratic donor Gayle King reacted by defending the class, saying “it’s important to point out it’s an elective class” with other choices out there and thus students “don’t have to take it.”
Duthiers read off a few other AP courses on other cultures and histories, including art history, German, and Spanish while King mentioned European history.
Co-host Tony Dokoupil chimed in that, unlike past disputes, this class was for “older kids...not...little kids.”
He added that he’d reckon “DeSantis is happy to have a fight with Ben Crump” and it meshes with “this woke act stuff they’re doing down there.”
In the end, the socialist co-host sided with Crump, lamenting “this is a kind of nanny state vibe, like, the government stepping in saying you can’t put this in your mind.”
Dokoupil, a Florida native, was the CBS anchor who had the hilarious task of traversing Florida ahead of the 2022 midterms in hopes of finding a supporter for DeSantis’s Democratic opponent, former Congressman and Governor Charlie Crist. And, as the world saw, he failed.
This last leftist attack fired at DeSantis was made possible thanks to the support of advertisers such as Dove and Volkswagen. Follow the links to see their contact information at the MRC’s Conservatives Fight Back page.
To see the relevant transcript from January 26, click “expand.”
CBS Mornings
January 26, 2023
7:47 a.m. Eastern[ON-SCREEN HEADLINE: What to Watch; DeSantis Bans AP African American Studies]
VLADIMIR DUTHIERS: Let’s talk about what’s happening in Florida. Civil rights attorney Ben Crump is threatening to sue the state of Florida — rather, Governor Ron DeSantis. Here’s the reason: Last week, Florida’s Education Department rejected a proposed Advanced Placement high school course on African-American studies. That is a college prep class. The department listed, “concerns” about the curriculum, including topics covering intersectionality and activism and black queer studies. Florida’s Stop Woke law approved last year restricts how racism and other aspects of history can be taught in schools. Crump, joined by students and activists yesterday, accuses DeSantis of violating the federal and state constitutions. Listen.
BENJAMIN CRUMP: What this really is about is saying you cannot exterminate us, you cannot exterminate our culture, and you can never exterminate the value of our children to this world.
DUTHIERS: The College Board, which developed the African American studies curriculum, says the official framework of the course will be released next week. It will replace the pilot program incorporating feedback from high schools and colleges. A College Board spokesman declined to comment when The Washington Post asked whether the curriculum was being adjusted because of the DeSantis administration’s concerns. The Florida Department of Education says the state will reconsider the class after examining the new curriculum.
GAYLE KING: I think it’s important to point out it’s an elective class.
DUTHIERS: It’s an elective.
KING: You don’t have to take it.
DUTHIERS: It hasn’t even been approved.
KING: Yes.
DUTHIERS: There’s a pilot program. We don’t know what the final program —
KING: Yeah.
DUTHIERS: — is going to look like as of yet.
KING: But they have other elective classes.
DUTHIERS: There are other elective classes, including — that — that range from AP German language and culture, AP classes dealing with Japanese language and culture.
TONY DOKOUPIL: Yeah.
KING: European history.
DUTHIERS: And art history.
KING: Yeah.
DUTHIERS: And a student chooses to take these classes.
KING: Yes.
DOKOUPIL: Yeah.
DUTHIERS: These are not classes that you have to take.
DOKOUPIL: There are older kids, as well. We’re not talking about little kids.
KING: That’s a good point, yeah.
DOKOUPIL: You know, you can understand the politics of it. I think Ron DeSantis is happy to have a fight with Ben Crump. I think he thinks that helps him with his base having covered DeSantis and this woke act stuff they’re doing down there. But this is a kind of nanny state vibe, like, the government stepping in saying you can’t put this in your mind.
KING: Mmhmm.
DOKOUPIL: For older kids, we’ll see how it plays with his — his — his supporters.
DUTHIERS: Yeah.
DOKOUPIL: We’ll — to be dete — to be seen.
DUTHIERS: That’s right. This is not over yet.
