Although churches can’t reach all 3 million students from Florida’s public school system, they intend to make a substantial dent. “We have such a captive audience,” says Pastor Tony Drayton, who helped build the kit. “From the pulpit we have to be as woke as possible. I’m going to use that word intentionally.”
In Fort Pierce, Florida, Pastor Kenneth Johnson is leading a series of hour-long classes about Black history on Zoom. “We don’t need government approval to teach our history,” he said, calling it “disrespectful and even condescending” to be told “what we’re allowed to learn.” Johnson extended an invitation to Gov. DeSantis to attend his classes.
“I know [history] can be tainted by those who write it,” added Johnson, “but if we’re going to be who we’re called to be, we have to know what we’ve been.”
