Florida’s Shevrin Jones never thought he’d have to propose bill to legitimize my Blackness. State Senator Shevrin Jones, Florida’s first openly gay Black lawmaker, has been a vocal opponent of Gov. Ron DeSantis and his policies, including banning books by Black authors and African-American history considered too “woke.”
He recently introduced a bill that would eliminate language in the State Board of Education’s school curriculum that suggests enslaved Black people benefited from slavery.
The proposed legislation, SB 344, would amend the state’s controversial education standard regarding Black history, which currently instructs students that enslaved people of African descent benefited during their captivity by developing skills and specialized trades.
Florida’s Shevrin Jones never thought he’d have to propose bill to legitimize my Blackness. Jones said that he never thought that in his lifetime he would have to file a piece of legislation to legitimize his Blackness and make it clear that slavery was not a benefit to the enslaved.
The proposed legislation also requires public schools to teach “efficiently and faithfully, using the books and materials required that meet the highest standards for professionalism and historical accuracy.”
Florida, led by Gov. DeSantis, is seen by many activists and political strategists as ground zero for the Republican national agenda to advance conservative right-wing Christian ideology, including eliminating diversity, equity, and inclusion in schools and courses inaccurately labeled as critical race theory.
Polling shows that a majority of Americans do not agree with bans on race and DEI and even oppose laws barring classroom teachings on gender identity and sexual orientation.
Jones has been so visible and vocal opponent to DeSantis and his party that he has been called by many across the state and the country to consider a run for governor in 2026.
When asked about his seriousness weighing a possible gubernatorial run in the Sunny State, the lawmaker told the Grio that he is humbled by the encouragement from others but is “first and foremost” focused on the upcoming 2024 elections.
Jones believes that Florida is winnable for the Democratic Party in 2024, as Republicans have shown that they can’t govern and that their biggest fight is fighting “woke.”
He would like to see the “broken bridge” in Florida politics be “rekindled,” where “we can bring people back together to govern again.”
