“The View” co-host Alyssa Farah Griffin is admitting she made a mistake while claiming Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) is “erasing” Black history.
“Sooo I got tripped up on a point re: DeSantis/ AP black history on air [and] accidentally misrepresented what the Governor is challenging,” Farah Griffin tweeted Friday morning. “It’s more narrow than how I framed it, [and] while I still personally disagree, I own that I explained it wrong.”
She added, “My mom always taught me that when you’re wrong admit it, say sorry, and get it right next time.”
My mom always taught me that when you’re wrong admit it, say sorry, and get it right next time. ?
— Alyssa Farah Griffin (@Alyssafarah) February 10, 2023
It is easy to buy into the talking points about DeSantis and his actions in Florida. And the media has been running with the line he is “erasing Black history.”
Critics point to the Stop W.O.K.E act, which prohibits schools from teaching critical race theory, as evidence to back up their allegations.
Farah Griffin specifically referred to DeSantis’ move to block an Advance Placement (AP) African American studies course in Florida schools.
The course initially included writers who are associated with critical race theory. However, the College Board later removed those writers from the curriculum. And the Florida Department of Education is expected to review it ahead of the 2024-2025 school year.
“What Ron DeSantis did with banning AP Black history, that is going way further than what many members of my party have raised concerns with,” Farah Griffin claimed on Thursday. “You’re literally talking about erasing history … This is straight up saying, ‘We’re not going to learn about slavery. We’re not going to learn about the Civil War.’”
However, her claim was simply inaccurate.
DeSantis Press Secretary Bryan Griffin criticized her comments, telling Fox News Digital they were “both dishonest and incorrect.”
He also pointed out the Florida Department of Education’s website lists topics that are required to be taught, which include: “the history of African peoples before the political conflicts that led to the development of slavery,” “the passage to America,” “the enslavement experience,” abolition, and “the history and contributions of Americans of the African diaspora to society.”
It also states students “shall develop an understanding of the ramifications of prejudice, racism, and stereotyping on individual freedoms, and examine what it means to be a responsible and respectful person, for the purpose of encouraging tolerance of diversity in a pluralistic society.”
If there are issues where schools fail to teach those subjects, they should be corrected.
DeSantis’ concern with the AP course is not with erasing history, but rather that it would introduce students to content claiming racism is deeply entrenched in American society today.
And it seems Farah Griffin may not have done all her homework when she claimed Florida students were not going to learn about the Civil War or slavery.
The incident seemed to be a little more than a moment of getting “tripped up.” But at least she admitted she got it wrong. And hopefully, it can be a good lesson for her about how the media often blows DeSantis’ actions out of proportion.
