At South Florida’s only HBCU, Black history is taught with no censorship
Professor Msomi Moor has a special greeting for everyone who comes into his African American History class.
“Welcome Black,” says the Florida Memorial University professor. FMU is South Florida’s only private Historically Black College or University, meaning his classes don’t have to abide by the state’s anti-woke legislation.
It might be subtle, but Moor’s greeting centers Blackness, something especially important in a state like Florida, where Black history is being either whitewashed, sidelined or just ignored. A generation of Black children is potentially in danger of never truly learning about Black history in an academic context. For many students, higher education has historically filled in the blanks, yet, because of the chilling effect caused by
Gov. Ron DeSantis’ legislation aimed at dictating how professors can teach, HBCUs like FMU could become Florida’s safest spaces to have honest discussions about Black history.
“The law in Florida is if you make white folks feel bad in class, you can’t teach that,” Moor told the Miami Herald, referring to HB 7, a Florida law that has been challenged in courts and would prohibit K-12 and higher education institutions from teaching history in a way that could cause students to feel guilt from past actions by members of a shared group. “Keep in mind, this is the second Blackest state in the nation. Florida is number two, Texas is number one in regards to population. If you can eliminate the presence of historically engaged Blacks here, erase their past and cancel their future, you’re getting ready to create a permanent inferior class. It’s like what they did in the 1860s, 1870s, 1880s, 1890s — you’re downgrading the citizenship of Blacks.”
A class like Moor’s underscores the important role HBCUs play in supplementing Black history education among Black students. Born out of the desire to teach Black Americans outside of the Eurocentric education system at a time when many white institutions wouldn’t admit people of color, HBCUs have always played a crucial role in this country’s history. The institutions have produced some of the best and brightest Black thinkers who have shaped society. And at a time in Florida when books are being banned and the state’s educational standards say that enslaved Africans benefited from their bondage, their purpose has become even more critical.
“The HBCUs have to continue the role consistent with their mission,” said Miami-Dade school board member and Florida A&M graduate Steve Gallon III. “Most HBCUs, if not all, were established when Blacks didn’t have a choice.
Their mission was to educate Blacks who didn’t have other options. Now that Blacks have more options, it’s incumbent that HBCUs not run away from but run towards their core mission.”
More than that, Moor characterizes the role of HBCUs as the place where the “three Es” happen — exposure to the diversity of the Black experience, enlightenment about history and empowerment one another to change the world.
“The HBCU is a place for empowerment for Black folks,” Moor added. “It’s where we come to get away from racism and learn about each other.”
Inside the FMU/FIU Auditorium, the location of Moor’s Intro to African American History 1 and 2 classes, about 20 students dot the seats. Moor, wearing a yellow dashiki with a long gold rope chain, strolls around the classroom discussing how Black consciousness has