We speak with civil rights attorney Benjamin Crump about two recent cases of anti-Black racism making headlines in the United States: Florida’s new curriculum standards that teach students the “benefits” of transatlantic slavery to enslaved people, and a set of lawsuits against Northwestern University accusing the school’s athletic teams of widespread and institutionalized hazing, including physical, racial and sexual abuse. Crump is representing former Northwestern football players in one of the lawsuits. Republican presidential contender and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has doubled down on the Florida Board of Education’s new rules that require educators to teach students that enslaved Black people “developed skills which, in some instances, could be applied for their personal benefit.” Crump, who says he may sue the state over the changes, notes, “It has the potential to cause serious psychological trauma to African American students, and we will not stand for it.” Meanwhile, Crump has called the cases at Northwestern the beginning of the “me too” movement for college sports.
This post was originally published on Democracy Now!.
