Ron DeSantis’s ‘war on woke’ goes to college
about 5 months ago (12/09/2023)
Ron DeSantis’s ‘war on woke’ goes to college Art market Museums & heritage Exhibitions Books Podcasts Columns Technology Adventures with Van Gogh Search Search Art Basel in Miami Beach 2023 feature Ron DeSantis’s ‘war on woke’ goes to college The Florida governor’s recent education reforms are damaging arts and humanities programmes across the state—but educators and students are fighting back Carolina Ana Drake 9 December 2023 Share Art student Annie Dong’s mural at the New College of Florida was one of five that were painted over by a new politicised college administration Courtesy of the artist Colleges and universities throughout Florida have been feeling the weight of Governor Ron DeSantis’s “war on woke,” a politically conservative plan to reform the state’s public education system that many see as an assault on academic freedom. From Gainesville to Miami, public institutions devoted to higher education have suffered as a result of increasing attempts to dictate exactly what can be taught there and how, and arts and humanities departments have been especially vulnerable. The governor’s most recent law , signed in May, establishes content standards in core subject areas that “may not distort significant historical events or teach identity politics and specified concepts related to discrimination”.