Your Words

Continuing his spurious campaign against “Critical Race Theory” being taught in Florida schools, Gov. Ron DeSantis on April 20 signed HB 7 into law. The bill is intended to limit the way race-related issues can be taught in schools and in workplace training. (Or maybe just to throw red meat to his base.) The law immediately drew a challenge in federal court, with plaintiffs arguing that it violates First Amendment rights. “This case arises from the Florida Legislature and Executive Branch’s efforts to suppress speech in Florida’s schools and workplaces by passing laws that forbid Florida’s teachers and employers from endorsing concepts about race and sex with which Florida’s conservative politicians disagree,” said the lawsuit, filed by attorneys with the Jacksonville firm of Sheppard, White, Kachergus, DeMaggio & Wilkison, P.A. DeSantis said the measure “provides substantive protections” for students and parents.

@Nelson Manuel Revisionist tactics to sanitize our turbulent history is a dishonor to our nation. Stop fascism by demanding the truth be told! We’re Americans, not some red snowflakes.

@Shelley Hefner I hope he pushes to put bibles back in schools!!! It doesn’t need mass funding and teaches love of all humanity.

@David Stevens It’s a nothingburger issue designed to make it look like he’s doing something while not actually doing any substantive legislation, just like his fight with Disney.

@David Nimal Let’s vote this idiot out.

For our 4/20 issue, OW reporter Eric Tegethoff wrote about the myriad obstacles that Black farmers in Florida face in trying to get licensed to grow marijuana by the state’s Department of Health. ”It’s unfair to only have one [license] for the Pigford case and no other exceptions made for other Black farmers who are so far behind everyone else,” Ray Warthen of Zion Farms told the Weekly. “We’re five years behind all the other companies that already are producing medical marijuana.” Amazingly, this is the one story that brought commenters on both sides of the virtual aisle together as one. Kumbaya!

@Buddy Fockler When will all of us be granted permission to grow our own cannabis is a better question.

@Ben Tucker Probably after they release all the nonviolent black inmates doing time for selling dime bags to make ends meet, so … never?

@Orlando Weakly The system is rigged. They just need to legalize it so anyone can grow it. It’s high time (hehe) we get our heads out of our asses and end the stigma on weed.

‘COMIC CON’ BY CLAY JONES