Feb. 15 (UPI) -- The Reverend Al Sharpton led hundreds in protest Wednesday at the state capitol in Tallahassee to rally against Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and his administration's rejection of the College Board's Advanced Placement course on African American studies.
The protesters at the National Action Network rally carried a banner with the words "Save Our History" and "Equity! Diversity! Inclusion!" They marched from the Bethel Missionary Baptist Church to the state capitol where Black lawmakers, activists and preachers, including Bishop Rudolph McKissick, spoke out.
"If you come for one of us, you come for all of us," McKissick warned.
"If you don't want our story, you shouldn't get our students," he added. "I wonder what would happen if every D1 athlete went into the transfer portal and found a school that wants their story."
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Last month, DeSantis' administration rejected the AP African American studies course and banned it from being taught in Florida public schools. The governor's administration said "the content of this course is inexplicably contrary to Florida law and significantly lacks educational value."
The Florida Department of Education said it rejected the course because of references to Critical Race Theory, Black feminism, Black Lives Matter and Black communism, according to a one-page document shared with CNN, as other state officials claimed the course veered too far into political agendas.
During Wednesday's protest, activists urged parents to threaten to pull their students from Florida schools and universities over the banned course and the governor's plans to transport migrants from the southern border to other states.
Sharpton also urged underrepresented communities to register to vote, as he called DeSantis "Baby Trump."
"After Disney one day, after Blacks the next day," Sharpton told the crowd. "Give him a pacifier and let some grown folk run the state of Florida."
"For them to write Black history and decide Black history is a national standard, that we cannot allow to happen," Sharpton added.
"We will tell our story. It doesn't matter who wrote our history. It doesn't matter about sexual orientation or gender or race or religion," Rev. R.B. Holmes told the crowd. "You're wrong to mess with Black history."
