It’s
a
“B
History”
miracle!
Yesterday,
we
wrote
on
about
students
at
Florida
A&M
University’s
College
of
Law
being
told
that
they
couldn’t
use
the
word
“Black”
to
advertise
Black
History
Month
and
related
events.
The
worry
was
that
doing
so
would
be
in
violation
Florida
Senate
Bill
266
requiring
that
no
funding
go
to
“DEI”
events.
It
is
understandably
difficult
to
know
what
is
and
isn’t
“DEI”
when
your
language
is
being
policed
by
an
insufferable
bunch
that
don’t
realize
diversity
is
everywhere.
Especially
when
it
comes
to
history
—
people
will
look
you
in
the
eye
and
tell
you
that
lessons
about
the
Spanish-speaking
Christopher
Columbus
who
discovered
America
(he
didn’t)
aren’t
DEI,
but
as
soon
as
you
speak
Spanish
at
an
American
event,
it
is
regarded
as
some
terrible
and
offensive
DEI
takeover.
As
understandable
as
it
was
regrettable,
the
school
erred
on
the
side
of
safety
when
it
came
to
Black
History
Month.
After
getting
their
dirt
aired
out
for
the
last
three
days,
the
school
changed
their
tune.
Florida
Today
has
coverage:
[T]hree
days
after
the
university
shared
an
initial
statement
emphasizing
its
compliance
with
state
law
in
a
television
news
report
about
the
matter,
FAMU
President Marva
Johnson and
the
College
of
Law’s
Interim
Dean Cecil
Howard each
released
statements
Feb.
9
saying
the
word “Black” is
not
a
violation
but
was
instead
a
misinterpretation
of
diversity,
equity
and
inclusion
(DEI)
laws
that
FAMU
and
other
universities
across
the
state
have
been
abiding
by
these
past
few
years.
Cue
the
music!
Jokes
aside,
this
is
a
Black
and
White
(okay,
just
one
more
joke)
example
of
how
the
backlash
against
DEI
operates
as
either
an
explicit
or
implicit
chill
on
free
speech.
Let’s
not
forget
that
Black
History
Month
—
originally
Negro
History
Week
—
started
as
a
way
to
spread
awareness
of
Black
folks’
“beautiful
history
and…inspire
us
to
greater
achievements.”
Color
blind
policies
and
overzealous
attempts
to
conform
to
them
have
concrete
racial
effects
like
angering
and
frustrating
a
group
of
students
that
wanted
to
do
little
more
than
implement
some
community
organization
and
inspiration.
Schools
shouldn’t
have
to
worry
about
their
funding
getting
cut
because
a
Black
History
Month
flyer
mentions
that
a
Black
man
invented
personal
computers
and
blood
transfusions
or
that
Black
women
are
why
we
made
it
to
the
moon
first
or
have
MRIs
that
can
detect
breast
cancer
or
that
Black
trans
folks
have
been
fighting
for
our
civil
rights
for
centuries
or
are
moving
on
the
cutting
edge
of
tech,
or
and
or
ad
infinitum.
This
is
a
small,
local
win
for
FAMU.
It
is
also
a
victory
for
all
the
other
HBCUs
and
their
students
that
have
graduated,
are
enrolled,
and
will
enroll
in
the
future.
The
country
wins,
too.
All
of
our
histories
are
wrapped
up
in
one
another’s
—
no
amount
of
removing
installations
in
Philadelphia
can
change
that.
There
is
a
clear
line
that
links
censoring
speech,
history,
and
identity
in
service
to
a
petrified,
monumental
history
that
lives
in
fear
of
truth,
change,
and
a
healthy
sense
of
self
that
contains
multitudes.
But
enough
about
everyone
who
opted
to
watch
Kid
Rock
lip
sync
over
the
Bad
Bunny
Bowl.
Go
Seahawks!
FAMU
Leaders
Say
‘Black’
Word
Ban
For
Black
History
Month
Was
An
Error
[Florida
Today]
Earlier:
HBCU
Law
School
Not
Allowed
To
Use
The
Word
‘Black’
For
Black
History
Month
Event
Chris
Williams
became
a
social
media
manager
and
assistant
editor
for
Above
the
Law
in
June
2021.
Prior
to
joining
the
staff,
he
moonlighted
as
a
minor
Memelord™
in
the
Facebook
group Law
School
Memes
for
Edgy
T14s
.
He
endured
Missouri
long
enough
to
graduate
from
Washington
University
in
St.
Louis
School
of
Law.
He
is
a
former
boatbuilder
who
is
learning
to
swim, is
interested
in
critical
race
theory,
philosophy,
and
humor,
and
has
a
love
for
cycling
that
occasionally
annoys
his
peers.
You
can
reach
him
by
email
at [email protected]
and
by
tweet
at @WritesForRent.