What Florida is getting wrong about slavery

+ what's going on in Area 51 US Edition - Today's top story: Florida's academic standards distort the contributions that enslaved Africans made to American society [View in browser]( US Edition | 14 August 2023 [The Conversation] [The Conversation]( Top headlines - [Maui fires: The lingering health risks]( - [AI is transforming how music is made]( - [How technology is changing car thefts]( Lead story Learning about slavery isn’t easy. Even when teachers, book authors or the media get the story right, revisiting this dark chapter in America’s history can be a painful experience for a Black child. I know because I recall how upset I felt the first time I saw “Roots,” a 1977 TV miniseries based on the work of Alex Haley, when it re-aired several years later around the time I was 10. The parts that affected me the most were the various scenes that implied the rape of Black women and girls at the hands of white slave owners and overseers. That’s a lot for anyone to process but especially for a Black child growing up and trying to make sense of race and racism in the nation where it all occurred. Perhaps the only thing worse than learning about what took place during slavery in the U.S. is to be given an inaccurate or distorted view of what actually occurred. Rodney Coates, a professor of critical race and ethnic studies at Miami University, tackles that issue in a piece in which he explains why a new Florida curricular requirement about slavery is so misleading. The requirement calls for teachers to discuss how enslaved Africans were able to “benefit” from skills acquired during slavery. Coates expounds on how that obfuscates the reality that many [enslaved Africans possessed sought-after skills and invaluable knowledge]( that they had acquired well before their captivity. Jamaal Abdul-Alim Education Editor Enslaved Africans built landmarks like the White House, the U.S. Capitol and New York’s Wall Street. Bettmann via Getty Images [Florida’s academic standards distort the contributions that enslaved Africans made to American society]( Rodney Coates, Miami University While a Florida curriculum implies that enslaved Africans ‘benefited’ from skills acquired through slavery, history shows they brought knowledge and skills to the US that predate their captivity. Environment + Energy - [After Maui fires, human health risks linger in the air, water and even surviving buildings]( Andrew J. Whelton, Purdue University Maui County issued an ‘unsafe water’ alert and urged precautions. Residents can face several toxic hazards from fires, as an expert in the chemical risks from fires explains. Arts + Culture - [3 ways AI is transforming music]( Jason Palamara, Indiana University AI can streamline the painstaking work of mixing and editing tracks. But it’s also easy to see how AI-generated music will make more money for giant streaming services at the expense of artists. Economy + Business - [Hotels play vital roles in relief efforts when disaster such as the Maui wildfires strikes]( Rick Lagiewski, Rochester Institute of Technology Hotels are helping the Hawaiian island of Maui recover from the catastrophic impact of wildfires, just as they have in Florida following hurricanes. Politics + Society - [Trump’s free speech faces court-ordered limits, like any other defendant’s – 2 law professors explain why, and how Trump’s lawyers need to watch themselves too]( Thomas A. Durkin, Loyola University Chicago; Joseph Ferguson, Loyola University Chicago What can President Trump and his lawyers say about documents and witness statements used as evidence in his upcoming trial over his alleged attempt to overturn the 2020 presidential election? - [Underpaid and overlooked, migrant labor provides backbone of Maryland Eastern Shore’s local economy]( Thurka Sangaramoorthy, American University With more than 2 million migrant workers finding food processing jobs in rural America, their struggle to find adequate health care remains elusive. Science + Technology - [To steal today’s computerized cars, thieves go high-tech]( Doug Jacobson, Iowa State University Thieves are trading their pry bars for laptops and wireless devices to steal cars that nowadays rely on remotes and computer networks. - - [The same people excel at object recognition through vision, hearing and touch – another reason to let go of the learning styles myth]( Isabel Gauthier, Vanderbilt University; Jason Chow, Vanderbilt University The idea that each person has a particular learning style is a persistent myth in education. But new research provides more evidence that you won’t learn better in one modality than another. - [What is most likely going on in Area 51? A national security historian explains why you won’t find aliens there]( Christopher Nichols, The Ohio State University You’re not allowed to visit the part of Nevada known as Area 51. That’s because it’s a top-secret government facility. But the secrecy has to do with spy planes, not space aliens. Ethics + Religion - [Native Hawaiian sacred sites have been damaged in the Lahaina wildfires – but, as an Indigenous scholar writes, their stories will live on]( Rosalyn R. LaPier, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign The region of Maui has been revered by its Indigenous peoples as a sacred place for generations. It is believed to be the home of Kihawahine, a woman who transformed into a goddess. Education - [Discrimination took a heavy toll on Asian American students during the pandemic]( Roxanne Prichard, University of St. Thomas An increase in anti-Asian hate incidents during the pandemic contributed to a rise in depression among Asian and Asian American college students, a study found. 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