"The ReidOut" had a great time mingling with the people of Florida during our visit to Tallahassee on Wednesday to cover the National Action Network rally against conservatives’ anti-democratic education and voting policies.
To truly comprehend the gravity of these illiberal power grabs, sometimes it’s necessary to leave the studio and interact with the people on the ground most affected by them. The people we spoke with in Florida bear no confusion about the dangers of Gov. Ron DeSantis’ attack on educational freedom and voting rights. And they were clear in laying out the stakes for us on Wednesday.
I wanted to share some behind-the-scenes interviews Joy conducted that didn’t make it into Wednesday’s jam-packed show.
First, check out Ronald Burnette, a rallygoer who explained how DeSantis hasn’t lived up to his family name.
Here’s Amy Adams, a local who explained what her first African American history course in 1975 meant to her as a Florida student, and what similar courses — like the one the DeSantis administration is trying to restrict — would mean to her son today.
This interview is a treat, too — with Florida teacher Marlon Williams and his now-retired former teacher, Carolyn Hill. Williams has been teaching a piloted version of the Advanced Placement African American studies course that the DeSantis administration claimed “lacks educational value.” Listen to him describe his students’ reaction to right-wing attacks on the course. And listen to Hill describe the decadeslong fight for civil rights in Florida schools, and how it feels to see a student carry the movement onward.
Here’s another great one. Joy speaks with an uncle who brought his cousin, nephew and nieces to the rally outside the Capitol. Listen to him describe the inhumanity underlying DeSantis’ education restrictions.
And watch Joy’s interview with three high school freshmen in Florida who bravely share their insight on what restrictive education looks like inside schools. Be sure to listen to them school conservatives on what the word “woke” actually means.